Cytology, Daffodil Types, General, Publications and Resources, Science, Species

Brandham article in RHS Yearbook

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Hi again,
I received my copy of the RHS Yearbook today. It makes very interesting reading. I was particularly interested in an article by Peter Brandham regarding the classification of the species. In it he suggests that it may be time to consider returning the Tazetta group back to its own genus of Hermione. The technical data is beyond my limited intelligence but the notion raises some interesting questions.
1) Would this mean that, as Avalanche is no longer a daffodil, it could not be shown at a daffodil show?
2) Would the ADS have to become the AD & TS?
3) Is a hybrid between a Narcissus and a Hermione a daffodil or a tazetta? I guess it would be a hercissus. Sounds like a ladies sister to me.
4) Would the RHS Yearbook now become ‘daffodils, snowdrops, tulips and hermione yearbook 2010 – 2011?
I expect you to think about the answers to these questions but do not expect any written answers to be of a deeply serious nature.
Dave

4 comments for “Brandham article in RHS Yearbook”

  1. November 9, 2009

    By 

    Can someone send me a copy (electronically ) of the article of Brandham in the RHS yearbook?

    Thanks in advance.

    Ben J.M.Zonneveld
    Nationaal Herbarium Nederland
    POBox 9514
    2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
    telf 071 5274738
    E-mail: 

  2. I have sent Ben a copy of the article he requested, but as it exceeds the size limit for Daffnet I couldn’t send it everybody. However if anyone requires a copy please email privately.

    James Akers


  3. Thanks James for the copy of the article of Brandham

    Ben J.M.Zonneveld
    Nationaal Herbarium Nederland
    POBox 9514
    2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
    telf 071 5274738
    E-mail: title=

  4. Hi Brian /James

    Thanks for the copy. It is a nice introduction and in general I agree with Peter Brandham, including of the separation of Hermione The main argument not to separate them is that there are hybrids between Narcissus and Hermione and these seem not more difficult to obtain as between different sections of Narcissus. He is however a bit too confident in sequencing and there should have been there a caveat too. It is mostly done with chloroplast genes and these are inherited via the mother only, as stated. However, two plants could be identical in chloroplast genes due to progressive hybridisation but have very different nuclear genes! So hybridity, very common in the wild in narcissus, and several species still show their original hybridity,( at least in their genome size) can play havoc in a tree and then don’t present  “a precise and indisputable distance between species”

     

    PS A mistake: N assoanus /gaditanus  (about 19 pg) don’t have much larger but much smaller genome sizes than the members of section Apodanthi! (about 26 pg)

     

    Ben J.M.Zonneveld
    Nationaal Herbarium Nederland
    POBox 9514
    2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
    telf 071 5274738
    E-mail: 

     

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