286 Marqu ette, llanifestations of polarity in plant cells which usw. 
of the preparations suffices to sliow tliat the cell contents liere 
present relations which are of the greatest filterest with reference 
to the question of the Organisation of the cell. Usually the cells 
of tliese young leayes contain starch, freqnently in considerable 
abundance, and one is at once strnck by the fact that the starch 
grains are collected in masses of which tliere are apparently 
withont exception either one or two in a cell. In preparations 
treated with the triple stain tliese starch masses on account of 
the deep blne of the starch grains present a striking appearance. 
Eqnally conspicnous is the fact that the starch masses bear in 
every case a definite relation to the nuclens and that in resting 
cells tliere is withont exception only one starch mass present which 
lies closely pressed against the side of the nucleus, while in the 
later stages of division tliere are just as regnlarly two masses 
present which in this case are invariably placed at the poles of 
the spindle and later in polar depressions of the yonng daughter 
nuclei. All this is to be observed, as it were. at a glance. 
More detailed study sliows that the starch-grains lie in a 
clear space which is surrounded b} T a more or less distinct bound- 
ary. Frequently it appears as though a well defined membrane 
surrounded the mass of starch grains, a membrane of varying 
thickness, or, possibly, a membrane of uniform thickness which 
appears thicker in places because of the irregulär deposition of 
fine particles upon its surface. In general the walls boimding the 
starch masses appear thicker than those of ordinary vacuoles, in 
other cases, however, it is almost impossible to distinguish a 
definite bounding layer. But even in tliese cases the starch con- 
taining area Stands out from the rest of the cytoplasm owing to 
the abrupt ending of the lamellae or Strands of the cytoplasm at 
the surface of this areas. Frequently, too, if much starch is present, 
the outlines of the enveloping layer are clearly indicated by the 
Position of the outermost grains since the group of crowded starch 
grains closely follows the contours of the envelop which liolds them 
together. (Fig. 2.) 
If the contents of tliese starch bodies is examined more closelv, 
it appears that, in many cases at least, it does not consist entirely 
of starch grains but that in addition to tliese tliere are Strands 
(wliich stain blue-black with the triple stain) of varying thickness 
extending between the starch grains and between tliese and the 
peripherv of the bodv. Tliere also appear to be small granules 
taking the red stain scattered between the starch grains, they 
cannot, however, be distinguished with certainty from niinute starch 
grains in preparations stained with the triple stain. The presence 
of small granules other than starch can, however, be easily de- 
monstrated in iron-haematoxylin-preparations. In tliese tlie starch 
grains are almost colorless, but the other granules take a dee]) 
black stain so that they stand out sharply in the otlierwise 
clear space. 
These starch-eontaining bodies appear in varying forms and 
it is noticeable at once tliat their starch content fluctuates. This 
