Daffodil Types, Species

Pachybulbos, oops

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I looked for a picture of N. pachybulbos and best I can do is probably flower "D" at the bottom of the picture but it is looking sideways.
A is Papersails, can be 2 inches in diameter, to give you scale, B is a regular Paperwhite, C is ‘Froth’ =( Paperwhite x pachybulbos), directly under this is ‘Fluff’ also ( Paperwhite x pachybulbos) and D is I think straight N. pachybulbos. Hopefully I will remember to take a decent picture next year. We will also see if we can scan the paintings that Marilynn talked about.
Harold

At 03:13 PM 4/8/2009, Harold Koopowitz wrote:

James:
This is not pachybulbos either.
Harold

At 12:20 PM 4/8/2009, James Akers wrote:

Harold and Marilynn
 
Could you look at the photograph at
 
http://www.bulbsociety.org/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Narcissus/Narcissus_pachybolbus/Narcissus_pachybolbus.html
 
and say whether it is pachybolbus or not.
 
The flower grown in the UK as pachybolbus is sourced in Holland and is very different in form from the panizzianus which I have seen in Spain and grown in the UK. It is also in my experience much more difficult to get to flower, though the bulb is a similar size to panizzianus.
 
James Akers
 

1 comment for “Pachybulbos, oops”

  1. Marilynn, Harold, Brian et al

     

    I think that the answer may lie in the last paragraph of the text on N. pachybolbus on page 59 of John Blanchard’s book Narcissus A guide to wild daffodils where he writes “I also have bulbs collected by Charles Mountfort in Cyprus more than 30 years ago whose flowers fit the description of N. pachybolbus fairly well and which some who know it identify as that species. These have narrow leaves which are longer than the stems, rather darker green in appearance and only slightly glaucous, stems about 30 cm tall and flowers up to 27mm in diameter. The bulbs are by no means exceptionally large, and seem to resent pot culture. They are perfectly hardy and flower well in a raised bed against a south wall. With no other protection the first flower is often open before Christmas, and buds continue to appear until late March. Having seen N. pachybolbus in Morocco, I now think this is more probably a form of N. papyraceus”.

     

    This description fits very well what I grow as N. pachybolbus, particularly as I had already commented on its size of bulb, narrowness of stem and apparent reluctance to flower.

     

    However since it undoubtedly has a significantly different flower form to N. panizzianus, and behaves very differently (with me at least) in its manner of growth from that species which I find very easy to grow, could not someone obtain bulbs and do DNA tests to clarify the situation? Can someone also contact Dennis Tsang and find if his source of bulbs and/or photograph is Holland?

     

    James Akers

     

    —–Original Message—–

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