Bulblog 22/02/12

[fleurbleue]

Ian, your Narcissus cantabricus petunioides seedlings are really wonderful, a very nice form 

[Ian Y]

Thank you Nicole

These are seedlings from Jim an Jenny Archibald's seed and are looking better each day as they open more. I am crosspollinating them in the hope of getting a good seed set of this most desirable and somewhat scarce form of narcissus cantabricus.

As I keep taking more (and more) digital pictures of them I think they will feature again in an upcoming bulb log.

[fleurbleue]

Good news Ian  I'll look at them 

[annew]

Me too! Very nice indeed.

[YT]

Ian, very nice petunioides flowers
Your plants set healthy seeds by inbreeding, I would be happy if you report the result here.

I got a seed pkt of petunioides from JJA as you in 2003 and several seedlings started to bloom in 2008. After that, I’m trying to get their self-pollinated seeds every year for insurance to unexpected accidents, but never got fertile seeds. Usually seedpods turned yellow too early and occasionally set a few ripen seeds in pods but never germinated

At first, I thought my growing and breeding techniques were hopelessly poor or perhaps the climate here was not fit for petunioides. But other cantabrics and their relative species grown in same conditions set healthy seeds abundantly even by my hand pollinating

Now I’m thinking somewhat likely that, as a result of inbreeding, incompatibility has become apparent in these petunioides seedlings. So if your plants set seeds freely, I have to try some other treatments for making my plants set fertile seeds at my place.

My fear for loosing my petunioides stock plants suddenly realised last autumn Now several small offsets (seems not good condition) are left and I’m really hoping their quick recovering.

Here is a pic of my petunioides seedlings in the old days...

[Ian Y]

Ok I am persuaded more pictures will appear.  

YT,

You show a very well grown pot of this lovely plant which sadly is becoming very scarce. It is not an easy plant to keep going long term - the bulbs seem to loose vigour after about three years of flowering.
You highlight an excellent point that we should all be aware of that intensive inbreeding of a plant will more often than not lead to its offspring becoming sterile.

I have another very nice form Narcissus cantabricus clusii (I do not think this is a valid name) that is about to flower. As well as self fertilising I will cross pollinate some of the flowers both ways and hope for seed and then select again for the petuniod forms - if successful this will add some new vigour into this wonderful form and perhaps I can keep it going for longer.

I will keep you informed through the bulb log.

YT I just adore your wonderful pictures of the white Eranthis shown on other threads.

[YT]

Ian, thank you very much for all That's the good idea to pollinate your petunioides with a similar relative for increasing their vigour.

To tell the truth, I have 3 more N. cantabricus bulbs labelled as ‘petunioides’ from another source. One of my friends bought 10 bulbs as petunioides at an internet auction site and kindly sent me the 3 bulbs last summer for using cross pollination with my JJA stock plants. The auction seller explained to my friend its original bulbs bought from a nursery in the Netherlands some ten years ago. One flower bud can be seen in a pot with these 3 bulbs on my growing bench now, so I still cannot judge the bubs from my friend are the real or fake

Most of my eranthis are fading its flowers now and I'm looking forward to harvesting their seeds