Bulbs > NARCISSUS

Narcissus May 2007

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Maggi Young:
Ian and I are still marvelling at this lovely little community of flowers.....thank you ,Rafa, for allowing us this treat. It is terrific to see these plants making their home in this restricted spot and succeeding there.

Paddy Tobin:
Indeed, Maggi,

It is one of those exceptional delights of nature. I suppose our appreciation of how special these photographs of Rafa's are comes from our experience of growing (or in my case, attempting to grow) these wonderful plants. It really is a great treat to have Rafa post these photographs. Despite how everyday this technology is, it is still marvellous to have such a photograph from a mountain in Spain directly onto our screens in the comfort of our homes.

Many thanks Rafa,

Paddy

Rafa:
Many thanks to all for your compliments,

These plants are very strong indeed, since they live in impossible conditions. As you could see in the pictures, the habitat was reduce to a 3-15 cm layer of moss, on top of a rock slope. Apart from 3 months during the summer the rest of the year they are almost underwater, and also the temperatures can go as low as -22º in winter time.

I 've been talking to a Narcissus expert, and he considers that it's a Narcissus nivalis (seeing the pictures), but since I am very use to see N. nivalis in almost every fild in the village, these ones in particular, strike me as unusual.

I base my theory, as follows.

Apart from all the thigs I've said before. There is one thing that makes it almost impossible for these plants to escape and to expand from this rock "castle": in about 2km square there is not substrate or moss as it happens in this particular rock, were the water emanates. The rest is like gravel the size of a sofa, bare of moss, with only leeches.

Needless to say I will collect seeds to donate to my friends of SRGC!!

tonyg:
Thanks Rafa - great pics, great info, great to see them!

Ian Y:
Rafa, that is exactly what I was saying to Maggi. These bulbs are imprisoned in their tiny habitat surrounded by inhospitable conditions. The population must have selected and refined itself over many generations to growing there.
I thought that part of the description that separates Narcissus bulbocodium nivalis is that the style and anthers should be strongly exerted - they seem to be fully contained in your beautiful subject.
It is my belief that Narcissus are a relatively young genus and so are still speciating at a steady rate -what ever their taxonomy they are very desirable.
The other lesson from this habitat is that when they are in full growth and flowering narcissus need very generous amounts of water.

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