234 IRREGULAR PELORIA. 



himtm the lower flowers, or those on the secondary- 

 branches, are quite as often affected as the primary ones. 

 Cassini considered that the spur of i/i7ia?*<'a was developed 

 from the lower petal rather than from the upper ones, 

 because there is more room on the side of the flower 

 farthest from the stem than on the opposite side. 

 With reference to this point, M. Godron remarks that 

 in habitually irregular flowers the apex of the peduncle 

 is oblique, and hence the flowers are bent down- 

 wards or spread horizontally, but if the receptacle be 

 quite flat and level then the flower is regular. The 

 oblique position causes some of the organs to press on 

 others, and hence induces abortion and suppression of 

 some parts and increased growth in others that are 

 not subjected to pressure. In a terminal peloriated 

 flower of aconite, described by this naturalist, the flower 

 was removed so far from the nearest bracts that all 

 it^ parts had the chance of growing regularly. In 

 ordinary cases M. Godron considers that the com- 

 pression of the lateral bracts is the cause of the irregu- 

 larity of the androecium and of the receptacle.^ 



It has also been somewhat too generally stated that 

 peloria occurs principally on luxuriant vigorous plants. 

 It seems quite as often to happen in plants charac- 

 terised by their deficiencies in this respect. On this 

 point M. de Mehcoq^ says, referring to Linaria vul- 

 garis affected with peloria, that on the weakest plants 

 the peloriated flower was at the top of the stem ; 

 while in stronger plants, with more numerous flowers 

 and larger fohage, the peloriated flowers were princi- 

 pally to be found in the centre and at the base of the 

 inflorescence, and their pedicels were much longer 

 than usual. 



Linne, as has been already stated, considered these 

 flowers to be sterile, and only capable of multipHca- 

 tion by division of the root, but WiUdenow obtained 



Godron, " Mem. sur les Fumariebs a fl. irreg.," 'Ann. Sc. Nat.,' ser. 

 5, vol. ii, tab.ijcvii, p. 280. 

 ' 'Bull. Soc. Bot. France,' vol. v, 1858, p. 701. 



