258 PHYSIOLOGY OF 



papi!ionacea,f. l63, papilionaceous, irre- 

 gular and spreading, somewhat like a 

 butterfly, Lathi/n/s^L 1108. The vari- 

 ous petals which compose such a flower 

 are distinguished by appropriate names, 

 as vexillum^f. l64, standard, the large 

 one at the back ; alce,f. l6o, wings, the 

 two side petals ; and carina, f, 166, the 

 keel, consisting of two petals, united or 

 separate, embracing the internal organs, 

 f. 167. In TrifoUum all the petals are 

 sometimes united into one at the lower 

 part. 



incompkta, incomplete, when parts, \\hich 

 analogy would lead us to expect, are 

 deficient, as in Amorpha, a papilionace- 

 ous flower apparently, but consisting of 

 the -cexillam only ; or Jlittej^a of Schre- 

 ber, /I 168, a rosaceous one with a single 

 lateral petal, seeming as if four others 

 had been stripped off. 



It is remarkable that irregular flowers some- 

 times vary to regular ones in the very same 

 plant, as in Bignonia radlcans, Curt. 

 Mag. t. 485 ; and Antirrhinum Li- 

 naria, f, I69, Engl. Bot. t, 608 and 

 260. 



