Daffodil Types, Miniatures

Division 10

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Hello Trevor,
If bulbicodium filifolius was best Div 10 at the NZ National it would appear that our Senior Judges don’t know as much about daffodil divisions as they should. Filifolius is a varient of N bulbocodium var bulbicodium and therefore is a species Division 13.
An embarassed David Adams.

5 comments for “Division 10”

  1. To an embarrassed David Adams

    Shouldn’t you also be embarrassed by a division 6W-W which has two florets. Surely a division 12?

    James Akers

  2. Hi James,

    Not embarassed this time. The flower you mention was Premier seedling and therefore had no divisional status. It was a reporting error that described it as Division 6.

  3. Dave,
    And what a charming flower it is!  I would have loved to see something like that in my seedling patch.  No matter if it is a miniature, a 6 or a 6 that is really a 12.
    We give a collective tip of the hat to Malrose for producing this.  I love it when you can enlarge a mini’s photo and not be able to tell that it is not a standard.
    Donna
    —

  4. Hello David,
    I think you point up an important dilemma. A selection from species becomes a cultivar once it has been given a registered name. eg. N. ‘Diamond Ring’ is a selection from N. bulbocodium subsp.obesus and suddenly shifts from  Division 13 “Daffodils distinguished solely by botanical name” to Division 10 “Bulbocodium Daffodil Cultivars”. By giving it a name we have changed its classification, and there are good reasons for doing so, but it is still fundamentally a species. I think it is up to Schedule writers to recognise this subtely and frame classes to allow Div 10 to include species eg.  ” 1 bloom, Div 10 or Botanical Section Bulbocodium”. This may also apply to other botanical sections. That would overcome your problem and provide for the sort of little error that you highlighted.
    Brian

  5. Hello Brian,
    I entirely agree about the confusion with species and their selected named forms. Some years ago I argued vigorously with the classifications committee about this matter and lost. My view is that a named species should be classified as, for example, N minor selection ‘Little Gem.’ As you state the cultivar is still pure species.
    Be assured that in our New Zealand schedules the class states ‘N bulbocodium species and/or hybrid.’ Those who are pedantic will state that selected forms are neither species nor hybrids and therefore we should say cultivar but most of us find that even more confusing.
    Last show this weekend and in spite of being four weeks ahead of normal flowering season I still have some cultivars to open. Sometimes the very late cultivars get a chance!
    Dave 

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