Growth substances from Veratrum tenuipetalum.

Young leaves and buds of Veratrum tenuipetalum yielded non-indolic growth accelerators and inhibitors in the acidic ether fraction. The titer of accelerators decreased while the inhibitors increased as leaves matured. This was also true when comparing extracts of immature and fruiting inflorescences. Indole 3-acetic acid was at no time detected in leaf, bud, and inflorescence extracts but indole 3-acetyl-aspartic acid was readily recovered from all of these. The alkaline ether fraction of leaf base meristems, buds, roots, and rhizomes was rich in crystalline and amorphous alkaloids and phenolic acids. Reducing the quantity of major substances through crystallization, precipitation, and filtration permitted thin film chromatographic separation of the minor alkaloids and phenolic acids in the presence of the major ones. The unchromatographed mixture, and also certain of the purified major and minor alkaloids studied, strongly inhibited growth in germinating oat and winter rye seeds. In addition, profound changes in morphology and cytology of the seminal roots resulted. DNA disappeared partially to completely from affected tissue in 2 day germinated seeds.