Porphyrophora polonica

Porphyrophora polonica L. (Polish cochineal) contains small amounts of the kermes dyes kermesic acid and flavokerme-sic acid besides the cochineal dye carminic acid. These secondary components cannot be identified unless they have previously been concentrated. 

Porphyrophora polonica L., which produces Polish cochineal Porphyrophora hameli BRANDT, which produces Armenian cochineal ... 

The female cochineal scale Insects attach themselves to and feed from the cactus previously they had been misconceived as fruits of the plants (a). - The larvae of Porphyrophora polonica are sessile parasites living on the roots of the perennial knawel (b), growing on sandy soils of Central Europe. 

Carminic acid in Cochineal from insect species such as Dactylopius coccus, D. confusus Porphyrophora polonica L. and P. hamelii. 

Porphyrophora polonica L. has historically been also known as German kermes, Polish kermes, and root k., as well as root cochenical, cremesino xavo, cremese and chremesino tedesco (Rosetti, 1548). Synonym and variant names associated with cochineal lakes include carmine, cremisi, cremisino, crimson lake, grana, scarlet lake, purple lake, Chinese lake, Florentine lake, Hamburgh lake, Roman lake and Venetian lake. 

The extracted dyestuff of cochineal insects is principally carminic acid, however the P. polonica additionally contains small amounts of kermesic and flavokermesic acids as does P. hamelii to a lesser degree. As kermesic acid is the principal dyestuff of the kermes insect it is possible that this has led to some misattributions of cochineal lakes as kermes lakes. The smaller amount of kermesic acid in the Armenian cochineal has made this very difficult to distinguish from the New World cochineal (Kirby and White, 1996). Research by Wouters and Verhecken (1991) has shown that there are clear differences in the chemicals produced hy the two species and that the relative proportions of the dye precursers will allow us to distinguish between the various Porphyrophora. 

Porphyrophora spp. P. polonica L. Margarodidae Polish cochineal (i polonica) Carminic acid [Kermesic acid Flavokermesic acid] Schweppe Roosen- ... 

---