64  Plants  Which  in  Drying  Stain  Paper.  {AFebXrV!?9ao7m* 
when  fragments  are  treated  with  ammonia  they  yield  a  clear  yellow. 
The  bulbs  of  D.  erythrorrhiza  and  stolonifera  possess  the  same  prop- 
erty ;  in  these  there  is  a  deep  scarlet  powder  secreted  by  the  scales 
of  the  bulbs,  which  is  instantly  dissolved  in  ammonia,  forming  at 
first  an  orange-colored  fluid  of  great  richness,  but  it  soon  changes 
to  the  rich  purple  above  mentioned." 
Hooker 1  largely  follows  Lindley  in  some  remarks  on  D.  stoloni- 
fera, Endl.  Later  on,  Bentham 2  remarks,  "  Nearly  all  the  species 
of  this  section  (Ergaleium)  dye  the  paper  in  which  they  are  preserved 
a  rich  carmine  or  purple  color." 
It  remained,  however,  for  Prof.  E.  H.  Rennie  of  Adelaide  to  ex- 
amine the  coloring  matter  of  this  genus.  He  first  extracted  two 
beautiful  red  coloring  matters  from  the  corms,3  and  subsequently 
submitted  these  coloring  matters  to  an  exhaustive  examination.4 
GENTIANACE.E. 
Gentiana  saxosa,  Forst.,  from  the  Australian  Alps,  gives  a  yel- 
lowish-brown, but  not  strong  strain. 
LOGANIACE2E. 
Logania  linifoliay  Schlecht.  A  specimen  from  the  Mallee  district, 
Victoria,  stains  paper  very  strongly  purplish ;  the  stain  actually 
goes  through  the  paper. 
L.  ovata,  R.  Br.  and  L.  longifolia,  R.  Br.,  also  Australian  plants, 
likewise  exhibit  marked  stains. 
Strychnos  psilosperma,  F.  v.  M.,  N.  S.  Wales  and  Queensland, 
affords  a  purplish  stain,  not  so  intense  as  Logania. 
OLEACE^E. 
Jasmmum  simplicifolium>  Forst.  Specimens  from  New  South 
Wales  and  Lord  Howe  Island  exhibit  a  greasy-looking  grey  stain. 
MYRTACE.E. 
Some  species  of  Eucalyptus  exhibit  a  greyish  stain,  which  does 
not  appear  to  be  an  oil  stain.  Instances  are  E.  virgata,  Sieb.,  and 
its  variety  obtusiflora ;  also  E.  Luehmanniana,  F.v.M. 
1  Icones  Plantarum,  Vol.  IV,  tab.  389  (1841). 
2  Flora  Australiensis,  II,  462. 
3  Journ.  Chem.  Soc,  April,  1887. 
4  "The  coloring  matter  of  Drosera  Whittakeri"  Journ.  Chem.  Soc.,  IyXIII, 
1083  (1893). 
