ANTIRRHINUM LiNARIA — "The Variety of ToAD-Frax 
var. Peloria. called Peloria. 

— The earheft account that we find of the Pera is in the firft volume of the mentes Academics of 
LINN &us, publithed in 1749; it there forms a diftin& thefis or differtation, written bv Daurgu RupBer C, who 
enters minutely into the hiftory of the plant, defcribes it fully, and illuftrates it by an engraving. 
The plant appears to have been firft difcovered in the year 1742, growing in a province of Sweden, about 
feven miles from Upfal, by a botanical ftudent of the name of Zrozerc, who gathered a fpecimen of it, and 
placed it in his herbarium, as a plant he had not before feen, ignorant at the fame time of its nature and 
ceconomy, and of the value of his difcovery: in the fame year Profeffor Cexsius, no lefs celebrated for his 
knowledge of plants than of languages, happening to look over Mr. Zioserc’s collection, was immediately 
ftruck with the extraordinary appearances of this novelty ; but the ftate it was in, being dry and ftuck on paper, 
prevented him at that time from examining it to the extent he wifhed. -In a fhort time the Profeffor had an 
opportunity of fhewing it to LiNN &us, who after looking at it with great attention, proclaimed it to be a 
fpecimen of Antirrbinum Linaria, with the flowers, as he {ufpeéted, of fome exotic, fluck on it, inflead of its 
-own; fuch deceptions are well known to be fometimes praétifed, but on opening one of the flowers, he was 
convinced that his fufpicions were unfounded: he now became impatient to pollefs the living plant, roots of 
which, at his requeft, were fent him by Mr. Ziosznc, and planted in the botanic garden at Upfal, but did not 
fucceed ; thefe would have been replaced in 1743, but the plants where they originally grew had been obliterated 
by cattle: the fame injury befel them in 1744, fo that it 1s probable Linn aus did not enjoy the pleafure he fo 
ardently wifhed for, of feeing it bloffom; and there is reafon to conclude, that both the deleription and figure in 
the Amen. Acad. were taken from ZionEnG's dried fpecimen, which will in fome degree apologife for the 
inaccuracy of both; that of the former we fhall have occafion to mention in the fequel of this account. 
Since the above differtation was publifhed, the Pe/oria has been found wild in various parts of Germany, and 
alfo in this our ifland. Mr. Hu»psow, in the firft edition of his Flora Anglica, mentions it as growing near 
Clapham, Surrey; but as no botanift has obferved it there fince that publication, and as in the fecond edition of 
the faid work the fact is no longer noticed, we may reafonably conclude that Mr. Hupson was miftaken. 
In the year 1792, Mr. ORpoyno, Nurferyman at Newark-upon-Trent, moft obligingly fent me fome roots 
of this plant, found growing wild by Mr. Leicuron, of Brocklefby, near Brigg in Lincolnfhire, in fome 
woods belonging to Mr. Petuam; thefe were planted in a pot, and flowered with me iparingly in 1793: this 
fummer, 1794, 1n the beginning of Auguft, they produced a great number of flowering ftems, and flowers in 
abundance, every one of which was true to its character; but though the parts of fruGtification were perfect, no 
feed-veffels were formed; its failure in this refpe& I attribute to my keeping the plant in too fheltered a fituation, 
as a plant from the fame root growing in a pot at Mr. Vere’s, Brompton Park-Houfe, Kenfington-Gore, under 
the management of his gardener WitL1AM ANDERSON, produced two perfect feed-veffels, containing many to 
all appearance well-conditioned feeds: we may obferve that the flowers of the Lzazia itfelf are rarely fertile, 
unlels the plant be expofed to an open funny afpeét. 
When the Pe/ora was firft publifhed in the Amenit. Acad. Linn &vs regarded it as a new genus, the characters 
of which are there defcribed, he was inclined to think that it might be a hybrid plant, generated betwixt the 
Linarra, and fome other unknown vegetable; the fexuality of his fyftem often led the great LiNN vus to 
indulge in’ whims of this fort, in the Sp. P/ ed. 3. we find him to have relinquifhed the opinion of its being 
a diftin& genus *, but fill adhering to his favourite idea of hybridity, now, as far as relates to this plant, very 
generally exploded. Prof. Murray has obferved, that the flowers of the genus Aztrrhinum are peculiarly 
fubje& to monftrofity; we ourfelves have frequently feen the flowers of the common Toad-Flax with two or 
three fpurs, and thofe of the majus having a tendency to a Peloria-like appearance, but never to affume the 
regularity which conftitutes the beauty and extreme fingularity of that plant; there is, however, no appearance 
in the firu&ure of the flowers of the Pe/orza but what may be traced to thofe of the Lzzarza, of which they 
certainly are a moft wonderful modification, and hence there does not appear to be the leaft neceflity for having: 
recourfe to any preternatural fexual intercourfe to explain this extraordinary phenomenon. 
The monftrofity in the Pe/oria appears to be confined wholly to the Corolla with its attendant Stamina, which 
is hereby rendered a fpecies of Flos multiplicatus, there is nothing in the other parts of the plant to diftinguifh 
it from the common Toad-Flax; that the difference in the flowers of the two plants might be more obvioufly 
feen, we have had a flower of the Lzzarzz engraved on the fame plate, fg. 7. this in Pe/oria is lo metamorphofed 
as fcarcely to retain one original feature; the calyx, fig. 1. varies but little, not at all in the number of its divifions ; 
the Corolla from being irregular becomes regular, below it is dilated, above contracted, Ío as to form a tubular 
kind of neck, terminating in a prominent circular rim, which rolls back and is divided into five regular fhort 
fomewhat obtufe fegments, fg. 2. the mouth is internally villous, and puckered up fo as to become impervious ; 
inflead of one depending fpur-like Ne&ary, there are five, fpringing from the bafe of the Corolla, fg. 3. and 
fpreading out almoft horizontally; the Stamina are increafed from four to five, fig. 4. thefe molt afluredly 
are attached to the Corolla, notwithftanding Linn £us’s affertion that they are nu/lo modo corolle affixa, tor 
on pulling off the Corolla, which eafily feparates from the receptacle in the living plant, they come away with 
it; no very material alteration takes place in the form of the Filaments, or Anthera, fig. 5. nor does the 
Piftillum appear to partake of the monftrofity, fg. 6. hence there is no phyfical caule for that flerility, which 
moft of the authors who have mentioned this plant attribute to it. 
We regret extremely that we cannot as yet give a fatisfagtory anfwer to the Linnean Quere in the Amen, 
Acad. an ex Peloriee feminibus Linaria unguam enafcatur ; we think it highly probable that the feeds of the 
Peloria will produce planis both of common Toad-Flax and Peloria, perhaps fome bearing flowers common 
to both, fuch as HaLrzm relates to have been obferved by Fasricius; but this important tact remains to be 
afcertained by a&ual experiments: with fuch we are now engaged, and fhall not fal taking the earlieft 
opportunity of laying the refult of them before our readers, when we treat of the Antrrhinum majus. 
The Peloria, like the Linaria, increafes greatly by its roots, like that plant it fucceeds beft in a dry foil and 
expofed fituation, and no plant thrives better in a pot. 
Linn£us derives the name of this lufus from the greek word ue which fignifies any thing monflrous ; 
hence APoLLoxius Ruoprus calls a monftrous birth sz rexG. 
* Linaria proles hybrida—genus proprium conftitueret nifi fru&us femper abortiret—raturz prodigium, Linn, Sp. Pl. ed. 3. 
