Winter Narcissus - to early 2012

[ronm]

Think I'm just settling for leaves this year David!

[David Nicholson]

Yes, I've got a fair amount of leaves too Ron. Got a few buds on some of the later ones but the early ones have been disappointing.

[annew]

We definitely need smellivision for Arnold's beauties.

[ArnoldT]

I think smellvision was a fad in the 60's.  Didn't last.

[mark smyth]

The first of my miniature Narcissus is now open - N. lagoi OP

[Gerry Webster]

The first of my miniature Narcissus is now open - N. lagoi OP

I wonder about the origin of your plant Mark? According to Blanchard N. lagoi has not been found in the wild since 1909 & has never been in cultivation.

[ronm]

has it now??

[Maggi Young]

The first of my miniature Narcissus is now open - N. lagoi OP

See pix of this that Mark has shown in previous years :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2870.msg76165#msg76165


http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4766.msg144428#msg144428


Gerry: if  quote on the plant comes from Blanchard's book, that info may be a little outdated?

[Gerry Webster]

According to the Kew Monocot checklist N.lagoi Merino 1909 is a synonym for N. asturiensis (Jord.) Pugsley 1933.

According to Blanchard  the flowers of N. lagoi Merino  are held on stems 40-50 cm long.  Hardly a 'miniature'.

Edit: Difficult to be sure but in Mark's earlier pics it looks rather like  a form of N. asturiensis.  

[ArnoldT]

A wild collected Narcissus bulbocodium from Morocco.

[mark smyth]

Gerry I can only go by what the label says. The supplier was Brian Duncan. I'll be visiting in a few weeks and will ask him

[ashley]

This is Narcissus lagoi grown from Brian Duncan's OP seed.  With me it is very variable in height, usually 12-20 cm tall but never more than about 25 cm.  Apart from height, it differs from the other N.asturiensis forms I have in its persistently green spathe, far longer yet slightly narrower and less glaucous leaves.  The inside of the corona is also distinctly paler.

Last year I asked Brian about this plant, and trust that he won't mind if I quote him here:
"As far as I know N. lagoi is only recognised from one location due west of Lugo. It may be subsumed into N. asturiensis but I think it is distinctive enough to be at least regarded as a sub-species or a variety. It grows in a riverside habitat at lower altitude, similar to N. cyclamineus , it has that distinct and prominent upright hood, it tends to be slightly larger and more upright in stance  and Ben Zonneveld says it is a tetraploid (48pg Dna compared to 24ish for N. asturiensis. I hope further research will allow it's identity to stand at some level. Meanwhile, being a tetraploid, I think it should be useful for further crosses."

Apologies for the soft focus.

[Gerry Webster]

Thanks for this Ashley - very interesting. Blanchard states that the original collection was made on the banks of the River Minho near Lugo but that neither Frank Waley nor Mike Salmon were able to find it in the vicinity. Presumably Brian Duncan had more success?

[ashley]

I don't know whether Brian collected material himself Gerry, but it would be very interesting to know whether he or others have found it in the wild since Blanchard wrote that passage.  I think Rafa supports its inclusion under N. asturiensis but perhaps he might know more about populations near Lugo.  Certainly that general area has undergone a lot of building and other development in recent years, threatening biodiversity.

[Gerry Webster]

I've just had a look at Ben Zonneveld's paper. Apparently following Barra & Lopez (1995), he seems to regard N. lagoi as a synonym for N. asturiensis subsp. villarvildensis. The latter taxon also includes N. minor 'Cedric Morris', another tetraploid. What a nightmare Narcissus is!