THE AMERICAN HOTAXIST. 95 
Others larger and producing sonij i)()llen and in stillothers 
as large and as well developed as the two that are 
normally developed. 
Peloria.— T/7e Gardening World recently figured a 
case of peloria, as it is called, in the common English fox- 
glove (Digitalis purpurea) in which the terminal flower in 
the inflorescence, instead of being turned sidewise and 
irregular in shape was erect and regular, that is each 
petal was shaped exactly like the others. It is said that 
monstrosities" of this kind can \yc bred up until most of 
the flowers in the spike present this peculiarity. The same 
journal notes that peloria is also common in the toad-flax 
(Linaria vulgaris), the snap-dragon {Antirrhinum majus) 
and the various species of Pentstemon. It may be added 
that all irregular flowers may be expected to produce 
these examples of peloria at times and when one comes 
under the notice of the student he can usually produce a 
race possessing the peculiarity by carefully breeding from 
American Cress.— There appears to be no accounting 
for the common names of plants upon a reasonable basis. 
The plant that, according to Gray, .\niericans have im- 
])orted trom Europe and cultivated under the names of 
cress. Accorrling to the editor of Gardcniniz World thi> 
plant is not native to the British Isles, hut Orav denies it 
a res-ident in America, so that when found it ,-u>;K-ars to he 
an immigrant from some other region, possibly continent- 
al Euroi)e. How it came by the name it bears in England 
i.< something oi a mystery. Gardening World suggests 
that it may have been due to its introduction into cultiva- 
tion from America. The common sptx-ies of Barbarea {B. 
valgarin) is supposed to lie native to the northern parts ot 
North America but to l)e introduced southward. .At any 
rate the plant bears the ear-marks ot an alien, growing 
ing in tieids and along roadsides. 
