peloric

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pe·lo·ri·a

(pə-lôr′ē-ə)

Unusual regularity in the form of a flower that is normally irregular.

[New Latin, from Greek pelōros, monstrous, from pelōr, monster; see k^wer- in Indo-European roots.]

pe·lor′ic (-lôr′ĭk, -lŏr′-) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive ?

One of the best plant examples of a fairly stable methylation pattern transmitted over many generations is found in the peloric (Greek for "monster") flower form of the toadflax Linaria vulgaris.

Acquired traits revisited

Loss of stamens seems irreversible, certainly for whole stamen whorls and probably also for reductions within whorls, except for the occasional genetic mutation or monstrosity, unless one considers the event of peloric mutants (e.g., Antirhinum: Coen & Meyerowitz, 1991; Coen et al., 1995) as a leading factor in floral evolution.