126 
Collencliymatic  Cork. 
I  Am.  Jour  Pharm.. 
i      March,  1890. 
they  do  not  give  the  Color  reactions  with  Wiesner's  reagents,  with 
metadiamido-benzol,  or  with  thymol-hydrochloric  acid. 
Concentrated  potassa  solution  colors  the  cell -walls  deeper  yellow, 
particularly  after  warming  ;  if  under  the  cover  glass  the  heating  be 
continued  to  boiling,  numerous  yellow  granules  and  globular  masses 
issue  from  the  cell  walls  in  the  manner  which  is  characteristic  for 
cork-tissues,  according  to  the  researches  of  von  Hoehnel  (1877);  at 
the  same  time  the  stratification  of  the  cell-walls  becomes  about  parallel 
with  the  surface  of  the  pericarp.  The  addition  of  water  causes 
the  granules  to  disappear  and  the  stratification  to  become  indis- 
tinct. The  cell-walls  of  the  tissue  in  question,  on  being  treated  with 
Schulze's  mixture,  show  the  peculiar  cerinic  acid  reaction,  and  on 
treatment  with  concentrated  chromic  acid,  have  the  precise  behavior 
of  suberized  membranes. 
From  these  reactions  it  becomes  evident  that  this  tissue  is  cork 
collenchymatically  developed.  Such  a  tissue  combining  the  most 
important  characteristics  of  collenchyme  and  cork,  has  thus  far  been 
unknown.  I  call  it  collencliymatic  cork  ;  but  it  might  also  be  prop- 
erly named  suberized  collenchyme.  Its  appearance,  the  manner  of 
thickening  and  the  contents,  correspond  with  parenchymatic  collen- 
chyme. For  the  cells,  until  their  period  of  death,  contain  living 
plasma,  nucleus,  oil  and  red  coloring  matter  becoming  blue  with 
concentrated  sulphuric  acid.  But  they  differ  from  typical  collen- 
chyme in  not  directly  giving  the  cellulose  reaction.  They  further 
resemble  collenchyme  in  not  having  the  radial  arrangement  char- 
acteristic for  cork  cells. 
It  will  be  seen  that  this  peculiar  tissue  of  the  capsicum  fruit  unites 
the  characters  of  the  two  typical  tissues,  cork  and  collenchyme,  inter- 
mediate forms  of  which  were  heretofore  unknown  ;  and  it  evidently 
serves  also  the  designs  of  both  in  adding  to  the  firmness  of  the 
pericarp  and  in  aiding  the  functions  of  the  epidermis. 
The  berries  of  other  solanaceae,  like  Atropa  Belladonna,  Solatium 
nigrum  and  Solatium  Lycopersicum  do  not  contain  collenchymatic 
cork.  This,  however,  was  found  in  Solanum  melongena  var.  coccinea, 
where  it  is  two  to  four  cell-tiers  thick,  has  a  golden-yellow  color,  is 
decidedly  collenchymatic  and,  like  the  epidermal  cells,  suberized  in 
a  high  degree.  The  yellow  coloring  matter  of  the  cell  membrane, 
on  being  treated  with  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  acquires  a  deep 
orange  red  color. 
