Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => NARCISSUS => Topic started by: Jack Meatcher on November 18, 2015, 06:40:58 PM
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For several years, I have been trying to grow and flower specimens of N. minor ssp asturiensis. I have bought flowering plants labeled as N. asturiensis at shows and have grown some plants from seed. My "specification" is the description given in John Blanchard's book and uses the characteristics of waisted corona and green leaves. The plants I've grown from seed haven't flowered yet (flowers expected Spring 2016) but do have green leaves. All the flowering plants I have bought have somewhat glaucous leaves. Some of these plants have waisted coronas to the flowers but others don't have that pronounced waisting. The seed was ex JJA and JA.
So, are these glaucous leaved plants not actually asturiensis but N. minor or other sub-species of N. minor?
Wisley have a plant with glaucous leaves and waisted corona labelled as N. asturiensis.
Does the N. minor group naturally hybridise so it's difficult to find a "pure" John Blanchard specimen? Would DNA analysis enable one to separate the various forms of N. minor?
Any thoughts would be appreciated
Jack
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Jack, I'm pretty sure we have discussed this before on The Forum. May be useful to do a search.
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David,
Thanks for that reminder. I had a feeling I had raised it before but that the result was inconclusive. I did do a search as you suggested and looked at quite a lot of images. Plenty of waisted coronas but many more glaucous leaves than green. Jenny Archibald reckons my specimens from seed she gave me 2 1/2 years ago should flower in 2016. I know the leaves will be dark green so it's down to the corona shape.
I reposted the subject in case knowledge had moved on. Apologies for my obsession. Its origin is in the 1960s.
Jack
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Memo to self - find time for that half corona.