RE: BRYONET: Hoyer's Solution

BRYONET

Hoyer's Solution may be best for bryophytes with firm, small leaf cells
that do not collapse in glycerin. I recommend, however, for all-around
goodness Glycerin Jelly, an ancient method that has several good points.

See:
http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/ResBot/Meth/GlycerinJelly.htm for
discussion.

Technique with Mniaceae and other large-celled bryophytes: strip leaves
in water or Pohlstoffe solution or 2% KOH, then add 2 tiny drops of pure
glycerin to the water or solution mount. Do cross sections and arrange
leaves nicely in the unmixed water/glycerine mount, add a fingernail
sized clod of glycerin jelley, heat with one of those butane lighters
with the nice torch flame taking care to heat the slide fairly evenly so
it does not break, heating until the glycerin jelly just melts or before
it is completely melted, rearrange the leaves and whatever else is on
the slide, plop on a cover slip, and after it cools it is solid and
ready to mail or bang around the lab without drying. Don't use 2% KOH
with liverworts as the leaf cell walls are attacked.

Mounting in water and glycerin first, then heating plumps up the leaf
cells with glycerin, then add the glycerine jelly. The slides are
permanent if you keep them in a sealed cabinet with a small dish of
glycerin to saturate the air with glycerin.

_______________________
Richard H. Zander
Missouri Botanical Garden
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166 U.S.A.
richard.zander@mobot.org
________________________________

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