Bulb Information, Daffodil Types, Growing Daffodils, Hybridizing, Seedling, Species

Maybe I was wrong

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Hi Folks,
We have often been questioned, on Daffnet, about flowers with more than six petals. I have always taken the view that it was a freak of nature or maybe faesciation (sp?). Today I was invited to a garden where there was a clump of about ten bulbs and five flowers. Each flower was identical with ten petals. The bulbs had passed through five gardens before getting to this one but the thought is that it is a Mitzy seedling. If one flower was variable then I could accept a freak of nature but with all five flowers identical I’m starting to wonder if this may be a mutation within the daffodil species and that it does occur as a genetic characteristic of the genus.
Peg, the grower of the flower, would be most interested in an international opinion on this.
Regards,
Dave

6 comments for “Maybe I was wrong”

  1. Hi Ethel,
    A few of you have commented on the stems of the ten petalled flowers. Obviously they went over in the very heavy rain that we had – floods in many places in the city – however that is really irrelevant to the desired discussion on the flower form. The flowers look gorgeous in a vase.
    dave

  2. Hi Dave,

    For whatever it’s worth…..
    If I had such a distinctive and different Miniature here, I would not hesitate in the least to both hybridize with it and exhibit it. Seems to me that exploring the possibility of stable, increased number petals would be worthwhile. Judges might loath the style to begin with but it is different and unique. That makes it worthy of pursuing the potential, again, in my estimation
    The doubling of petals does not bother me but, from my personal viewpoint, as long as symmetry is present, I can accept more petals.
    Brian Duncan has raised this issue in Standard doubles. We in the daffodil world accept the doubling of the corona but NOT the back petals. As your photos show, increased numbers of tepals/sepals is within the range of expression for the genus. It just does not meet with the current “ideal” in terms of the range of expression that is accepted by judges in daffodil SHOWS. I’d certainly work with it as a breeder. Again, in my opinion, symmetry is the key here as an overall goal.
    Perhaps breeding the flower to add the earlier mentioned “stuffed cup” would cause the general public to swoon with delight! :-)
    Thanks so much for posting these photos. Add me to the availability list when increased stocks allow!
    Steve

  3. Hi
     A few photos from our library that show miniatures with too many petals. We have them in virtually every different colour and form, including reverse bicolors and white-pinks. In our case most go back to a specific species that has a tendency to produce too many petals and that trait is carried through to its progeny. We have some very good ones. We have never exhibited them because they are beyond the hard and fast rules of the judging criteria. I have persisted with them because I feel they have commercial value.
    Kind regards
    Graham

  4. Hello All, At my age I’m entitled to be a curmudgeon. If we are going to allow 10 petals how about how about 7, (more common than 10,). 8 and 9 or for that matter 4 and 5? I remember David giving me heaps when I awarded a premier bloom to a multihead only to discover later with the help of David that one of the florets had five petals.

    As for stuffed cups I can hear Max Hamilton crying from his coffin No No No.! He referred to these as failed doubles.

    Cheers,

    Peter (moaning about the season – as Trevor has said we really wanted a late season!)

  5.  Graham,
    Rather than dismiss the 10 petalled flowers it looks like there is enough evidence to have them considered as a legitimate daffodil form.
    Some are also very attractive as rockery or potted plants.
    Dave


  6. Hello everyone,
    Daffodils with more than six petals are not all that rare. Have not bloomed any with ten petals but have bloomed several with eight petals.
     
    Regards,
    Larry

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