mucilage

Home > ... > Plants and Animals > Botany > Botany: General > ...

Essential reading Compare
side-by-side A Dictionary of Nursing A Dictionary of Plant Sciences The Columbia Encyclopedia, ...

mucilage

mucilage , thick, glutinous substance, related to the natural gums, comprised usually of protein, polysaccharides, and uranides. It swells but does not dissolve in water. Mucilage is secreted by the seed covers of various plants, including marsh mallows and flaxes and certain seaweeds; it is the chief constituent of agar. In the plant it sometimes serves to check the loss of water to aid germination, to facilitate seed dispersal, and to store food. It is used in medicine as an emollient and a demulcent. Mucilage is employed also as an adhesive, and the term is extended to include other slimy adhesives, especially solutions of gum, such as tragacanth mucilage.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-mucilage" title="Facts and information about mucilage">mucilage</a>

Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"mucilage." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 27 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"mucilage." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 27, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mucilage.html

"mucilage." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mucilage.html

Learn more about citation styles

mucilage

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences | 1998 | | Â© A Dictionary of Plant Sciences 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

mucilage Any of a variety of complex, gum-like carbohydrates that are hard when dry, and slimy and jelly-like when wet. Mucilages are produced by many bacteria and plants. In most cases they contribute to water retention. Some seeds have a mucilaginous coating that absorbs water and thus assists germination.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O7-mucilage" title="Facts and information about mucilage">mucilage</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

MICHAEL ALLABY. "mucilage." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 27 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "mucilage." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (December 27, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-mucilage.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "mucilage." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved December 27, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-mucilage.html

Learn more about citation styles

mucilage

A Dictionary of Nursing | 2008 | Â© A Dictionary of Nursing 2008, originally published by Oxford University Press 2008. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

mucilage (mew-si-lij) n. (in pharmacy) a thick aqueous solution of a gum used as a lubricant in skin preparations, for the production of pills, and for the suspension of insoluble substances.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O62-mucilage" title="Facts and information about mucilage">mucilage</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"mucilage." A Dictionary of Nursing. Oxford University Press. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 27 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"mucilage." A Dictionary of Nursing. Oxford University Press. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 27, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-mucilage.html

"mucilage." A Dictionary of Nursing. Oxford University Press. 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-mucilage.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses

Rate these entries|See all related entries

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Tissue, anyone?(STRANGE BUT TRUE)(marine mucilages)(Brief article) Magazine article from: Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication; 10/26/2009
	Wet & dry: do you ever wonder?(wet vs dry green coffee preparation) Magazine article from: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal; 9/1/1999
	Marshmallow: a little something for that scratchy throat. Magazine article from: Vibrant Life; 1/1/2006

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	MUCILAGE-MODIFIED4 Encodes a Putative Pectin Biosynthetic Enzyme Developmentally Regulated by APETALA2, TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1, and GLABRA2 in the Arabidopsis Seed Coat1 Magazine article from: Plant Physiology; 1/1/2004; ; 700+ words ; ...secretion of large quantities of pectinaceous mucilage, cytoplasmic rearrangement, and secondary...wall biosynthesis. Mutations in MUM4 (MUCILAGE-MODIFIED4) lead to a decrease in seed coat mucilage and incomplete cytoplasmic rearrangement...
	Seed mucilage from Ocimum americanum linn. as disintegrant in tablets: Separation and evaluation.(Research Paper)(Report) Magazine article from: Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences; 5/1/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...synthetic products. Natural gums and mucilage have been widely explored as pharmaceutical...present study was undertaken to separate mucilage from the seeds of Ocimum americanum Linn...disintegrant. Methods for extraction of mucilage from the seeds were developed and the...
	Evaluation of binding properties of Eulophia campestris wall. mucilage.(Research Paper) Magazine article from: Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences; 9/1/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...prepared by using 10% mucilage as binder exhibited...preparation of tablets. Mucilages are polyuronides...grade. Isolation of mucilage[2],[3],[4]: Mucilages are viscid, somewhat...as a solvent. The mucilage was isolated from...
	Isolation and characterization of mutants defective in seed coat mucilage secretory cell developoment in Arabidopsis Magazine article from: Plant Physiology; 11/1/2001; ; 700+ words ; ...of pectic polysaccharide (mucilage; Frey-Wyssling, 1976...and Plantaginaceae, where mucilage forms a gel-like capsule...imbibition. Proposed roles for mucilage include facilitating seed hydration and/or dispersal. Mucilages are also found in the root...
	Evaluating Mucilage from Aloe Barbadensis Miller as a Pharmaceutical Excipient for Sustained-Release Matrix Tablets Magazine article from: Pharmaceutical Technology; 11/1/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...Natural gums and mucilage are preferred to...nature. (6-9). Mucilages are normal plant...plants contain mucilage, which provides...polysaccharides. Mucilages are hydrophilic polymers (10). The mucilage from Aloe barbadensis...
	A maize glycine-rich protein is synthesized in the lateral root cap and accumulates in the mucilage Magazine article from: Plant Physiology; 7/1/1999; ; 700+ words ; ...Lateral Root Cap and Accumulates in the Mucilage' The root cap functions in the perception...showed the accumulation of zmGRP4 in the mucilage that covers the root tip. These results...cells secrete modified zmGRP4 into the mucilage to which the protein may contribute to...
	Variation of mucilage in flax seed and its relationship with other seed characters. Magazine article from: Crop Science; 1/1/2006; ; 700+ words ; MUCILAGE IN THE SEED COAT of cultivated flax (L. usitatissimum L...fiber for textile or technical use. A separate recovery of mucilage and seed oil is possible because mucilage is located in the seed coat and can be extracted independently...
	Analysis of the Golgi Apparatus in Arabidopsis Seed Coat Cells during Polarized Secretion of Pectin-Rich Mucilage(W)(OA) Magazine article from: Plant Cell; 6/1/2008; ; 700+ words ; ...phase where large amounts of pectinaceous mucilage are deposited to a specific domain of...proportion of Golgi stacks producing mucilage was determined by immunogold labeling...percentage of stacks found to contain mucilage supports a model where all Golgi stacks...
	Adhesive Modular Proteins Occur in the Extracellular Mucilage of the Motile, Pennate Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum Magazine article from: Biophysical Journal; 4/15/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...live cells from the extracellular mucilage secreted from, and deposited around...used to investigate the adhesive mucilage of pennate diatoms. These studies...that the raphe-derived adhesive mucilage was composed of strands, and that...
	RHM2 Is Involved in Mucilage Pectin Synthesis and Is Required for the Development of the Seed Coat in Arabidopsis Magazine article from: Plant Physiology; 1/1/2004; ; 700+ words ; ...primary plant cell walls and the seed mucilage of Arabidopsis. Despite progress in...methods and chemical analysis of the mucilage revealed a strong reduction of rhamnogalacturonan I in the mucilage and a decrease of its molecular weight...