Leuco-anthocyanins. 2. Systematic distribution of leuco-anthocyanins in leaves.

In Part 1 (preceding paper) a method of demonstrating the presence of leuco-anthocyanins in plant tissues has been described. A modified version of this method, in which paper chromatographic separation of the anthocyanidins is not carried out, has been applied to the leaves of several hundred species of plants. As a confirmatory test, in the great majority of instances the vanillin reaction has been applied to methanolic extracts of the leaves. In extracts of plant tissues, this reaction is given only, so far as is known, by leuco-anthocyanins and catechins, and the latter do not, of course, give anthocyanidins under the conditions of the primary test. In every instance described below, where a specimen giving a positive anthocyanidin test has been examined chromatographically, anthocyanidin has, in fact, been present on the chromatogram.