The excision of cotyledons from two cultivars of peas soon after germination resulted in a lowering of the node of first flowering as well as a delay in both flower initiation and flowering, especially in the late cultivar Greenfeast. This is contrary to the usual view that, when cotyledon excision reduces node of first flowering, flower initiation and flowering are hastened, and it seems irreconcilable with the colysanthin theory of Barber (1959). An alternative explanation is proposed.