AFebJr°uaryPf9ao7n'"}    Plants  Which  in  Drying  Stain  Paper \  63 
phulariaceae),  Comandra  (Santalacese).  Some  Veronicas,  apparently 
not  root-parasitic,  dry  black,  as  also  do  some  Utricularias.  In  Zygo- 
phyllum  there  is  some  stain,  but  this  apparently  emanates  from  the 
juice  only  of  the  succulent  plant,  and  this  belongs  to  a  different 
class  of  phenomena. 
I  submit  to  you  a  list  of  a  few  plants  (arranged  in  natural  orders 
alphabetically)  which  I  have  observed  as  having  stained  paper  in 
my  own  herbarium.  The  list  is  too  small  for  me  to  deduce  much 
as  regards  botanical  relationships ;  it  may  be  added  to  as  search  in 
this  and  other  large  herbaria  will  undoubtedly  bring  forth  many 
additional  instances. 
BIXCAE.E. 
Scolopia  Gerrardi,  Harv.  (South  Africa). 
Oncoba  spinosa,  Forsk.  (Arabia). 
Azara  microphylla,  Hook.  (Chili). 
These  plants,  from  widely  different  countries,  produce  a  greenish- 
grey,  greasy  looking  stain,  the  Scolopia  and  the  Azara  very  abund- 
antly, the  Oncoba  to  a  less  extent. 
BORAGINACEiE. 
Alkanna  tinctoria,  Tausch. 
The  root  produces  a  purple  stain,  the  well-known  alkanet. 
COMPOSITE. 
Helichrysum  baccharoides,  F.v.M.,  Australia. 
The  whole  plant  produces  a  red  to  purple  blush. 
CONVOLVULACLE. 
Ipomoea  heterophylla,  R.Br. 
The  young  leafy  tips  of  this  Australian  plant  produce  a  reddish- 
brown  stain. 
DROSERACEiE. 
The  first  reference  to  the  staining  power  of  Australian  Droseras 
I  can  find  is  as  follows  1 : — "  These  Droseracous  plants  appear  likely 
to  be  in  some  cases  of  commercial  vaVue  as  dyers'  plants.  Every 
part  of  D.  gigantea  stains  paper  of  a  brilliant  deep  purple ;  and 
1  Appendix  to  Edwards'  Botanical  Register : — "A  sketch  of  the  vegetation 
of  the  Swan  River  Colony,"  by  John  Lindley,  XXI  (1889). 
