Vegetable Teratology: An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of PlantsMasters, Maxwell T. (Maxwell Tylden)
Science
Vegetable Teratology: An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of Plants
Masters, Maxwell T. (Maxwell Tylden)
Plants -- Abnormalities
The regular development of all the parts of the flower in a plant
habitually producing irregular flowers is referred to under the head of
Peloria, but it still remains to consider those examples in which some
only of the parts of the flower are affected in this manner.[220] Most
of these cases are elsewhere referred to in this volume under the
particular form of malformation assumed; but the following case may here
be noticed as not coming under any of the previous heads. It is an
instance recorded by Professor Babington ('Phytologist,' August, 1853),
and in which the pod of _Medicago maculata_, which is usually rolled up
like a snail shell and provided with spines, was sickle-shaped and
unarmed.
FOOTNOTES:
[220] See a paper of Professor C. Morren's on "Floral Stesomy" in 'Bull.
Acad. Belg.,' t. xix, part ii, p. 519.
CHAPTER II.
REGULAR PELORIA.
[Illustration: FIG. 116.--Regular Peloria, _Delphinium_.]
[Illustration: FIG. 117.--Sepal, petal, &c., of regular-flowered
_Delphinium_.]
[Illustration: FIG. 118--Regular peloria, _Viola_.]
[Illustration: FIG. 119--Double Violet, flower regular, petals
multiplied, stamens and pistils petaloid.]
When an habitually irregular flower becomes regular, it does so in one
of two ways; either by the non-development of the irregular portions, or
by the formation of irregular parts in increased number, so that the
symmetry of the flower is rendered perfect, as in the original peloria
of Linnaeus, and which may be called irregular peloria, while the former
case may be called regular peloria. This latter appearance is therefore
congenital, and due to an arrest of development.[221] As the true nature
of these cases has not been in all cases recognised (even Moquin places
them under the head of deformities--they being less entitled to rank in
that class than are the usual flowers), it may be well to cite a few
instances taken from various families. In _Delphinium peregrinum_ I have
met with perfectly regular flowers having five sepals and five oblong
stalked petals, and a similar occurrence has been noted in other
species of this genus. Baillon,[222] in referring to these flowers,
points out the resemblance that they bear to the double varieties of
_Nigella_. In the stellate columbines (_Aquilegia_) of gardens the
tubular petals are replaced by flat ones often in increased numbers. In
violets both forms of peloria occur, that in which there is an unusual
number of spurs, and that in which there are no spurs (var. anectaria).
In the more perfect forms of regular peloria occurring in the last-named
genus the following changes may be noticed: 1, an alteration in the
direction of the flower so that it remains in an erect position, and is
not bent downwards as usual; 2, equality of proportion in the sepals and
petals; 3, absence of spurs, as also of hairs on the lateral petals; 4,
equal stamens whose anthers are sometimes entirely destitute of the
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