March Narcissus 2011

[Gerry Webster]

Anne - I would be inclined to say N. rupicola. As far as I can see the corona looks somewhat lobed. According to Blanchard the corona of  N. cuatrecasasii is "almost entire". I suppose everything hinges on how one interprets "almost"!

[annew]

This is the other plant I have as cuatracasasii.

[Rafa]

Anne you are right, this is N. cuatrecasasii, and the other plants were N. rupicola as Gerry said. I did a comparative with both species

[Rafa]

if you have a good smell sense and color perception, N. rupicola smells like Genista species and N. cuatrecasasii is unscented (or slightly sweet).
Talking about the colours N. rupicola has a colder yellow (cyan tendency) and N. cuatrecasasii has a warmer yellow (red tendency). All that appreciations are not valid in Botany and Taxonomy as they can't be kept in an Herbarium sheet, but I consider them very useful for us as gardeners.

[Regelian]

Rafa,

that comparison with the paint jars is just too cool!

[Gerry Webster]

Rafa - that's a very useful comparison. Blanchard also mentions the difference in the arrangement of the anthers but I didn't notice.  Many thanks.

[Rafa]

Thank you,

Here are some N. rupicola and N. cantabricus, no hybrids between 

[annew]

A very helpful comparison, Rafa. I agree, the cuatrecasasii is a much warmer yellow. I love your photos of rupicola and cantabricus. I wonder what a hybrid would be like?  Is it genetically unlikely because of chromasome number? I have both species in flower, so I might try and see. I'll let you know in 4 years!

[David Nicholson]

Some of mine from today:-

Narcissus 'Kenellis' from Anne's List. This is an old Alec Gray hybrid (registered prior to 1948) from N. bulbocodium ssp.bulbocodium var.citrinus x N. 'Snowflake'. (first three pics)

N. bulbocodium var.graellsii, this one from Rannveig Wallis. (next two pics0

N. bulbocodium ex. 96/200, from Brain Duncan. (final two pics)

[annew]

I do like the green stripes on the back of graelsii.

[Gerry Webster]

A very helpful comparison, Rafa. I agree, the cuatrecasasii is a much warmer yellow. I love your photos of rupicola and cantabricus. I wonder what a hybrid would be like?  Is it genetically unlikely because of chromasome number? I have both species in flower, so I might try and see. I'll let you know in 4 years!

Anne - it might work. According to Zonneveld, the chromosome no. of N. rupicola, N. cuatrecasasii  & N.cantabricus subsp. cantabricus is the same: 2n = 14.

[Roma]

Narcissus 'Jenny' flowering in the coldframe (must get it planted out)
and Narcissus 'Van Sion', first of my garden daffs.

[Gerry Webster]

Narcissus tazetta 'Minnow'

[mark smyth]

David your Narcissus 'Kenellis' look very elongated

[Gerry Webster]

N. calcicola

Two forms:
1004 From AGS seed.
1022 From Monocot seed. Ex a Mike Salmon Collection (MS450), Serra dos Candeeiros, Portugal

My favourite narcissus species, not least because of its wonderful scent of violets. However, I don’t find it the easiest to manage. The AGS form in particular is susceptible to every kind of fungal rot known to man.