Peloria 111 
PELORIA IN LINARIA AND OTHER PLANTS. 
Louis F. HEIMLICH. 
Peloria is a term derived from the Greek meaning monstrous. Ap- 
plied to flowers, it is a kind of monstrosity or malformation. It is 
usually defined as “the phenomenon when usually irregular flowers, 
such as those with some of the petals or sepals spurred or saccate, de- 
velop all the parts of each set alike, thus becoming radially sym- 
metrical.” This condition was first observed and described by Linnaeus, 
“who found the spurred flowers of the Butter and Eggs or Toad flax 
(Linaria vulgaris) with five spurred petals instead of the normal one.” 
To this condition he gave the name peloria. 
Linaria is a genus belonging to the Figwort family (Scrophulari- 
aceae). Peloric flowers of various species of this family have been 
reported from time to time in different countries. The species having 
such flowers are Linaria vulgaris Hill (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12),* Linaria 
dalmatica and other species of Linaria (6, 12), the snapdragon (Antir- 
rhinum majus L.) (6, 12), and the foxglove (Digitalis purpurea L.) 
(4, 6, 12). Many other instances of peloric flowers of other families 
Fig. 1. Linaria vulgaris Hill. Toad flax or Butter and Eggs. Normal plants to 
the left bearing normal flowers with one spur. Abnormal plants to the right bearing 
peloric flowers with five spurs.—Photograph by Mr. E. J. Kohl. 
* The numbers in parenthesis refer to the same numbers opposite the references 
at the end of this paper. 
