The Lipids of Plant Storage Tissue

This paper describes the separation, identification and fatty acid composition of the major lipids of bulb tissue, with special reference to the dormant Narcissus. The major lipids of Narcissus are the phospholipids and the galactosyl diglycerides, triglycerides being present in relatively small quantities. Linoleic acid represents nearly 70% of the total bulb fatty acids, the remainder of which are primarily palmitic and stearic acids (about 20% and 10% respectively). As in other plant tissues, the galactosyl diglycerides of bulbs contain a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids than do the other lipids from the same source.