Just now I picked a flowering stem from a cheerful patch of daffodils
and brought it in to see what I could do about verifying the name on it.
I grew it many years ago from seed obtained from Michael Salmon's
Monocot Nursery. However, the only documentation I can find online is
old lists from that nursery, and John Blanchard's book on Narcissus
species mentions the name in passing as having been applied to a certain
population by Fernandez Casas, who named quite a few species not
accepted by the botanists of Kew. Blanchard's brief summary of
Fernandez's description doesn't sound anything like what I have here. My
plants, including 4 or 5 original seedling clones and their substantial
increase, represent a member of the N. pseudonarcissus group. The corona
is cylindrical with a ruffled flange at the margin, and exceeds the
corolla segments slightly. The corona ("cup") also darkens toward the
margin in ombre fashion, which is pleasing. The corolla segments
("petals") are somewhat twisted and turned under at t he margins,
definitely not a structure approved by daffodil breeders! The scape
(stem) is almost square in cross section.
Is anyone else growing such a narcissus from this source? Is there any
name I can append to it other than N. pseudonarcissus? Whatever it is,
it's one of the very first trumpet narcissi to flower here, and
delightfully vigorous.
In the bulb house the N. cantabricus and N. romieuxii are finishing up,
still far too many despite the hundreds of bulbs I sent to the BX last
summer. Flowering for the first time here is another mysterious name, N.
albimarginatus. I grew it from seed supplied by Kurt Vickery, who took
over much of Mike Salmon's stock. The general habit, foliage, and poise
of the flowers reminds me of N. triandrus, but this one is bright yellow
except for a white zone at the outer margin of the corona, obviously the
source of the name. It is very pretty, but you have to turn up the
flowers to see the white rim, since like those of triandrus they are
pendent.
Another early one is Narcissus obvallaris, not regarded as a separate
species by some botanists but I see that Blanchard accepts it. A modest
plant but capable of putting on a show once established, it grows in my
bulb lawn, and it's not going to be very showy this year because a
truckload of Douglas fir branches and twigs fell on it during the recent
ice storm, along with a great many chunks of ice that fell from the
trees during the thaw. I managed to clear off the bulb lawn and the
crocuses are doing well, but a lot of the narcissus stems were broken.
Just waiting for the chipper truck to show up, though fortunately I
snagged a chainsaw guy who was working for the neighbor; told him to cut
the boughs into lengths that could be moved by someone half as strong as
he was, and he must be very strong.
Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon, USA
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