S4G 



LAWS OP VARIATION. 



Chap. XXVI. 



Morren has described » a marvellous flask-shaped flower of the Calceo- 

 tana, nearly four inches in length, which was almost completely peloric ; 



Profw^w /T^ ° f , ^ Pknt ' With a n0rmal flower on «^ ■&*> 

 occulta I" has + deSCribed18 ^^ Pyloric flowers, which all 

 occupied a central position on the flower-branches. In the Orchideous 

 genus Phakenopsis, the terminal flower has been seen to become p" 



JLc^w ^ r * ° bSerVed that ab0ut a fourth P arfc of «" ™cemes 

 S^^!f i°T ^ M l0St th6ir P a P^naceous structure. 



had Xref tT ""? ^T!* aU ^ 0ther flQTOB 0n the same ra ™ 

 marM w ^h! ^ ^f^ pel ° rised exam P les had «* I»W* each 

 tTrti f S ^ *** th ° Se ° n the standa ^"Petal. The keel seemed 



™ 1 « f gG m ° re than the 0ther P etals ' Dutrochet has described » 



an exactly similar case in France, and I believe these are the only two 



instances of pelorism in the laburnum which have been recorded 

 Hutrochet remarks that the racemes on this tree do not properly produce 

 a terminal flower, so that, as in the case of the Galeobdolon, their position 

 as well as their structure are both anomalies, which no doubt 



some manner related. 



Masters 



are m 



nous plant, 2 " namely, a species of clover, in which the uppermost and 

 central flowers were regular or had lost their papilionaceous structure. In 

 some of these plants the flower-heads were also proliferous. 



m Lastly, Linaria produces two kinds of peloric flowers, one having 

 simple petals, and the other having them all spurred. The two forms, as 



occur 



spurred form almost invariably stands on the summit of the spike 



ihe tendency m the terminal or central flower to become peloric more fre- 

 quently than other flowers, probably results from « the bud which stands 

 ^ on the end of a shoot receiving the most sap ; it grows out into a stronger 



shoot than those situated lower down." 22 I have discussed the connection 

 between pelorism and a central position, partly because some few plants 

 are known normally to produce a terminal flower different in structure 

 irom the lateral ones; but chiefly on account of the following case, in 

 which we see a tendency to variability or to reversion connected with 

 the same position. A great judge of Auriculas* states that when an 

 Auricula throws up a side bloom it is pretty sure to keep its character ; 

 but that if it grows from the centre or heart of the plant, .whatever the 

 colour of the edging ought to be, « it is just as likely to come in any other 



class as in the one to which it properly belongs." This is so notorious a 



then to sow the seed separately, and 

 observe whether the one or the other 

 lot of seedlings varied the most. 



17 Quoted in ' Journal of Horticulture,' 

 Feb. 24, 1863, p. 152. 



18 ' Gardener's Chronicle,' 1866, p. 

 612. For the Phala3nopsis, see idem, 

 1867, p. 211. 



19 Memoires . . des Vege'taux,' 1837, 

 torn. ii. p. 170. 



:o < 



Journal of Horticulture,' Julv 

 23, 1861, p. 311. 



21 ' Nouvclles Archives du Museum,' 

 torn. i. p. 137. 



22 Hugo von Mold, « The Vegetable 

 Cell,' Eng. tr., 1852, p. 76. 



23 The Eev. H. H. Dombrain, in 

 ' Journal of Horticulture,' 1861, June 

 4th, p. 174 ; and June 25th, p. 234 ; 

 1862, April 29th, p. 83. 



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