antholeucin

English

Etymology

From antho- +‎ Ancient Greek λευκός (leukós, “white”) +‎ -in.

Noun

antholeucin (uncountable)

1. (botany, obsolete) A substance isolated from flowers and thought to act as a white pigment.
   • 1886, S. H. Vines, “Lecture XII”, in Lectures on the Physiology of Plants‎^[1], page 242:

     The dissolved colouring-matters are, in white flowers, antholeucin, in blue anthocyanin.

   • 1889 December, J. H. Pillsbury, “Biological Notes”, in The American Monthly Microscopical Journal‎^[2], volume 10, number 12, page 276:

     This in the case of yellow flowers is anthoxanthin; of white flowers, antholeucin; of blue flowers, anthocyanin, etc.

   • 1920, John Arthur Thomson, Biology of the Seasons‎^[3], page 92:

     There is such a thing as white flower-pigment (antholeucin), but in most cases the petals or sepals are white, just as foam is white, because of innumerable gas-bubbles in the cells.