Pectic Material in Root Hairs

Abstract

1 No cellulose was found in the root hairs of the species studied. 2. The root hairs grown in both loam and sand have a layer of pectic material on the outside, and within a layer of callose, thicker in some plants than in others, and usually a little thicker at the tips. 3. The pectic material in most of the cases at first is in the form of calcium pectate or pectose; pectic acid could not be detected with certainty. The pectic layer is somewhat thicker in loam than in sand. 4. The root hairs are somewhat acid in the forms studied, and there is a tendency to be slightly more acid in loam than in sand. 5. Whether the acidity of the root hair can be ascribed to the presence of pectic material or to some other cause has not been yet determined with certainty.