N. x susannae

[Matt T]

Hello Forumists.

Hoping someone can clarify something for me. When creating N. x susannae at home I assume that N. cantabricus is the pollen parent and N. triandus the seed?

I don't have any triandus at flowering size yet, but might experiment with 'Hawera' in the meantime.

Many thanks.

[Maggi Young]

 Hello Matt!
It's worth trying a cross using Hawera,  though it won't be x susannae.
I do think that the name  x susannae was first  applied to  the cross of triandrus pallidullus  x cantabricus but  now the name is used for any hybrid made in either direction of pollen/seed parent.

However you make this little charmer which does occur in nature, it is a stunning plant and one well worth pursuing.

[Matt T]

Thanks for your reply Maggi,
Pretty sure that my triandus won't flower for another year or so, but will play around with some other crosses in the meantime in the hope of getting something interesting. I'll aim to have a go both ways, but there's no telling whether the parents will be flowering together as the weather out here is extremely unpredictable, so I might end up saving pollen.
Thanks, M

[Maggi Young]

Yes, saving pollen is a good option for tricky crosses http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2008/050308/log.html

[Darren]

My few triandrus flower at least a month later than any of my cantabricus so I had to store pollen when attempting this cross.

None of the resulting seedlings have quite reached flowering size yet but I think I only have another year to wait for the first.

[Rafa]

This is a cross that I know very well in the nature. In the place where this hybrid was described, when N. cantabricus  have the ovary closed by their own species, Narcissus triandrus subsp. pallidulus starting to bloom and the first plants in bloom receive the pollen from the late N. cantabricus. The result is a plant that contains most of DNA of N. triandrus subsp. pallidulus, and they are usually  solitary plants, tall, like N. triandrus,  with 1 to 3 flowers per escape (at least) with a nice scent.  There is another nothovariety when N. cantabricus acts as mother, in southern Spain. They are big clumps with plants usually with one flower per escape or rarely two, I have seen 100 flowers in the same clump. This is possible because it has inherited the vegetative division capacity that N. cantabricus has..

I am still researching about it, but I think that if you cross both nothovarieties you will have in the next generations, fertile plants. This is happening in the nature with several narcissus.

[Anthony Darby]

Yes, saving pollen is a good option for tricky crosses http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2008/050308/log.html

A good reminder. I'm going to try this.