﻿Origin 
  of 
  Peloric 
  Toadflax 
  465 
  

  

  stances 
  the 
  desired 
  evidence 
  might 
  easily 
  be 
  

   gathered. 
  Or, 
  to 
  put 
  it 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  we 
  must 
  

   try 
  to 
  arrange 
  things 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  present 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  when 
  nature 
  produces 
  another 
  of 
  these 
  

   rare 
  changes. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  still 
  another 
  reason 
  for 
  choosing 
  

   this 
  plant 
  for 
  observational 
  work. 
  The 
  step 
  from 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  toad-flax 
  to 
  the 
  peloric 
  form 
  is 
  

   short, 
  and 
  it 
  appears 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  produced 
  

   by 
  slow 
  conversion. 
  The 
  ordinary 
  species 
  pro- 
  

   duces 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  stray 
  peloric 
  flowers. 
  

   These 
  occur 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  raceme, 
  or 
  rarely 
  

   in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  it. 
  In 
  other 
  species 
  they 
  are 
  

   often 
  seen 
  at 
  the 
  summit. 
  Terminal 
  pelories 
  

   are 
  usually 
  regular, 
  having 
  five 
  equal 
  spurs. 
  

   Lateral 
  pelories 
  are 
  generally 
  of 
  zygomorphic 
  

   structure, 
  though 
  of 
  course 
  in 
  a 
  less 
  degree 
  than 
  

   the 
  normal 
  bilabiate 
  flowers, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  un- 
  

   equal 
  spurs, 
  the 
  middle 
  one 
  being 
  of 
  the 
  ordi- 
  

   nary 
  length, 
  the 
  two 
  neighboring 
  being 
  shorter, 
  

   and 
  those 
  standing 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  flower 
  being 
  the 
  shortest 
  of 
  all. 
  This 
  curi- 
  

   ous 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  symmetrical 
  

   structure 
  of 
  the 
  flower 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  over- 
  

   looked 
  hitherto 
  by 
  the 
  investigators 
  of 
  peloric 
  

   toad-flaxes. 
  

  

  The 
  peloric 
  variety 
  of 
  this 
  plant 
  is 
  character- 
  

   ized 
  by 
  its 
  producing 
  only 
  peloric 
  flowers. 
  No 
  

   single 
  bilabiate 
  or 
  one-spurred 
  flower 
  remains. 
  

  

  