Peloric flower

From Greek pelorios – monstrous - a flower with a regular (actinomorphic) corolla, unlike other flowers of the same plant that have irregular (zygomorphic) corollas. A peloric flower develops at the top of an inflorescence. It is possible that the formation of a peloric flower depends on the even action of gravity on the corolla because of its apical, rather than lateral, position as in other flo…

From Greek pelorios – monstrous - a flower with a regular (actinomorphic) corolla, unlike other flowers of the same plant that have irregular (zygomorphic) corollas. A peloric flower develops at the top of an inflorescence. It is possible that the formation of a peloric flower depends on the even action of gravity on the corolla because of its apical, rather than lateral, position as in other flowers. It is generally accepted that the actinomorphic flower is the ancestral state of the trait, while the zygomorphic is the derived state. In orchids, this phenomenon is a developmental abnormality, both heritable (mutations) and non-heritable, which leads to the development of actinomorphic flowers in plants whose flowers are normally zygomorphic.