Crosses of tetraploid standard daffodils with N. bulbocodium graellsii are possible

  

For many years hybridizers have tried to combine N. bulbocodium with standard daffodils. The success was minimal. Now a solution of the problem has been found: N. bulbocodium graellsii can be routinely interbred with standard daffodils. If it is chosen as a seed parent crosses are easy to make. Most of the seeds in the picture for N. bulbocodium graellsii x Hanley Swan are viable. Standard daffodils as the seed parents give not so many viable seeds; many seeds don’t develop in the right way, but one to four good seed grains can be yielded for example per seed pod for Hanley Swan, Georgie Girl, Ken’s Favorite, Assertion, Compton Court, and Solar System. All seed capsules show many wizen seeds, but some are faultless (see photo ‘Compton Court x N. bulbocodium graellsii’).

It should be possible to generate seedlings with yellow or white petals and orange or pink coloured crowns. Nice little plants with new form of the flowers and monsters or perhaps popular favourites with filled or split coronas are in sight. Because both parents are tetraploid the new varieties are fertile correspondent to the theory (see: T.Sanders. February 2017. Crosses of tetraploid species with each other or with tetraploid standard daffodils. DaffLibrary). This means further interesting possibilities for crosses.

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