Narcissus nomenclature

[ChrisB]

Hi,  I bought a pot of 'grass' at the Cleveland Show last week from the members table.  When I looked at the label it says Narcissus bulbocodium Zaianicus.  I can't find this in the Plantfinder or the AGS encyclopedia so I think the name must be wrong somehow.  It had no flowers and looked like it had been grown from seed.  Funny thing is, I bought a similar pot in 2006 from the AGS table at the Ponteland Show with exactly the same name, though last Saturday I didn't know that....  Does anyone know if it is a valid name please?

[Roma]

Hi Chris,  all the Narcissus experts must be otherwise engaged.  I've grown N. zaianicus from seed and bulbs.  It's full name is Narcissus romieuxii ssp. albidus var. zaianicus

[Gerry Webster]

The nomenclature of these little hoop petticoats is chaotic. RBG Kew do not accept either N. bulbocodium var. zaianicus  nor N. romieuxii subsp. albidus var. zaianicus; they regard both as synonyms  of N. romieuxii subsp. albidus. In his monograph on Narcissus John Blanchard is ambivalent about N. romieuxii subsp. albidus var. zaianicus while Jim Archibald claims that "the name is not worth much." I'd be inclined to settle for plain N. romieuxii.
By the way, I'm not a "Narcissus Expert."

[ChrisB]

Thanks for your help!  This explains why it does not appear in the Plantfinder.  Guess I will just use N. romieuxii then.

[Regelian]

Chris,

according to Zonneveld, this is simply N. romieuxi ssp albidus.  As the species may well represent an ancient allotetraploid hybrid of N. bulbocodium x N. cantabricus, the variations often noted as varieties and subspecies would be expected.  To my eyes, the few plants I've seen of romieuxii are all very similar and do not merit seperation, but, then, I am more a lumper than splitter.