ANOMALOUS VEGETABLE STRUCTURES. 315 



The difference between regular and irregular flowers was once thought 

 much more fundamental than it is now known to be. The study of 

 abnormal examples aided by the consideration of analogies, has opened 

 to us the true view of the subject. Thus I cultivated for years a va- 

 riety of the checkered tulip (Fritillaria meleagris), which instead of 

 the regular bell usually presented by the flower, had the stamens decli- 

 nate, and the perigonium with one piece above two pairs lateral, much 

 modified in size, and one piece below, so as to approach the shape of 

 the flower of the Jacobsean lily ; finally, the rich soil of the garden 

 caused the bulbs to produce flowers of the ordinary type. It is very 

 common for particular flowers of Pelargonium, (the greenhouse gera- 

 nium,) whose flowers are known to be usually irregular, to return to 

 the regular type, thus losing the peculiarly coloured upper petals and 

 the nectariferous tube attached to the pedicel, and, instead of the 

 seven unequal stamens usually seen, perfecting ten equal stamens, as 

 is done by an ordinary wild geranium. Again, Linaria or toad-flax 

 presents a remarkably irregular flower, the stamens being in two pairs, 

 as in the Linnsean class Didynamia, the corolla forming two lips, in 

 the manner termed personate, and the lower part having a single 

 pointed tail, but there is a well known variety of this flower, called by 

 Linneeus, peloria, (the wonder) in which the corolla is regular with 

 five equal parts, has five smaller tails, and contains five equal stamens. 

 I have had in my own possession peloria varieties of several species 

 of Linaria, and in one instance the compound spike of flowers had all 

 the terminal flowers peloria, the lateral ones of the usual irregular 

 structure, obviously because the terminal flower, was favourably situ- 

 ated for the fullest and most equable nourishment. I may with ad- 

 vantage refer to one other example, interesting from the unusual cha- 

 racter of the deviation. We all know the remarkable irregularity of 

 the flowers of the orchis tribe, in which only one of the stamens is 

 perfected, and that in close adherence on the column formed by the 

 united styles, and one of the petals called the lip, receives a remark- 

 able development, often assuming very fantastic forms. Now there 

 has been a case described and figured by Richard of a flower of Orchis 

 mascula, which was actually completely regular, with three equal 

 petals, three stamens bearing anthers, and the whole flower symmetri- 

 cal and perfect, as complete an interpretation of the meaning of irre- 

 gularity as could well be conceived of. These facts are sufficient, 

 without my dwelling on a series of curious analogies, to prove that 

 regular and irregular flowers differ only in the equal or unequal distri- 



