Delafield's Hematoxylin and Safranin for Staining Meristematic Tissues

Abstract

The following technic is suggested for staining permanent preparations of meristematic tissues: Prepare and mount the sections by the usual paraffin method. From water, stain them 2–10 minutes in a solution made by adding 2–4 cc. of Delafield's hematoxylin to a Coplin jar full of tap water. As staining is progressive, the sections should be examined from time to time with a microscope. When the cell walls have become a deep purple, transfer the preparations, thru the usual series, to a mixture of xylol-absolute-alcohol in equal parts, and from this to a counterstain made by adding 4–6 cc. of a saturated solution of safranin in absolute alcohol to a Coplin jar full of xylol (75%) with absolute alcohol (25%). This stains the nuclei. Leave the sections in the counterstain at least 2 hours and then rinse them in xylol-absolute-alcohol (1:1) to remove excess safranin. Transfer them to pure xylol and then mount them in neutral balsam.