ary shape not
being developed at all. It more often happens that some only of the
leaves retain their young form while others assume other shapes, see
fig. 115. This happens frequently in the larch and constantly in the
Chinese juniper when it has arrived at a considerable age. In _Cupressus
funebris_ two forms of leaves may often be found on the same plant, the
one representing the juvenile state, the other the more developed
condition. What is very singular, is that a cutting taken from the
branch with leaves of the young form grows up into a shrub bearing
leaves of no other shape, so that an ordinary observer unacquainted with
the history of the plant would imagine that he had to deal with two
distinct species. This fact is the more interesting when compared with
the alternation of generations which takes place among the lower
animals.

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 therefo