June Narcissi 2012

[Anthony Darby]

I'm happy, as I have Narcissus viridiflorus flowering. Some paper whites are just coming out in the garden too. Worth trying a cross? The close up is with the sun behind.

[ronm]

I'd be very happy with that too Anthony, 

Is it really very heavily perfumed ?

[Maggi Young]

Try the cross? And get a multi-flowered daff that stinks?     I wouldn't bother, Anthony!

In my book ( or should that be in my nose?) perfume ( which for me has the most pleasant connotations) is not a word associated with N. viridiflora..... more a "pong" 

[ArnoldT]

Maggi:

I'm with you,  although my description would be more like warm vinyl.

[Anthony Darby]

I'm not one for hybrids, but not sure if it will set viable seed if I self pollinate it? Short of getting up close, I can't say I've noticed a scent. I suppose if it was on a greenhouse bench or I had a potful I would possibly regret the previous sentence?

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Anthony,
I've had seed set on a single clone of this daff.
I'd be inclined to try the cross, however! Or save the pollen for some of the other daffs later in the spring. Mine flowered a long while ago and I never managed to save any pollen
The viridiflorus hybrids which Luit showed a long time ago were Qi !
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

The viridiflorus hybrids which Luit showed a long time ago were Qi !
cheers
fermi

That's very true.... they were super... and didn't Gerd K. show some too ?

[Gerry Webster]

Maggi:

I'm with you,  although my description would be more like warm vinyl.

Arnold - you mean like LP records or something else?
An "extremely powerful scent" according to Blanchard. Interesting that it is unpleasant - other jonquils smell delicious.
I agree that the hybrids are beautiful - and usually I'm not keen on hybrids.

[ArnoldT]

Gery:

My memory of getting into a 55 Chevy that's been sitting on the sun.

[Maggi Young]

Well, Arnold, that's not a smell I know anything about!

 I would characterise the smell of N. viridiflora as being  rather "horsey"...  but not in a warm, clean horse way... more in a stinky stable way! Not pleasant if you are in a confined  space with the flowers.

[Rafa]

To me N. jonquilla and N. viridiflorus are the absolute kings concerning scent. I think this cross is currently registered, I don't remember the name...

I am not really interested in crosses, only in wild ones and also I am making my own crosses with N. viridiflorus to learn more about heritage and to understand the natural evolutive process in the wild. I use N. viridiflorus because it is more easy to see the characters in the hybrid than if you use N. assoanus x N. jonquilla.

Maggy I think N. papyraceus/panizzianus/polyanthos x N. viridiflorus could be possible in the wild. In all cases I think there is only possible one direction: N. viridiflorus would be the father because it blooms first, and it only can send the pollen, but it can't accept other pollen from the other species, as it has the ovary closed by his own species, or by N. obsoletus and N. cavanillesii.

There are two directions in N. x alleniae, because they bloom at the same time (maybe N. obsoletus, sooner) So there are two nothovarieties depending which one was the mother, nothovar. alleniae (mother N. obsoletus) and nothovar. rutherfordii (mother viridiflorus)
In N. x xanthochlorus, there is only one direction, N. viridiflorus is the mother and N. cavanillesii is the father.

I have a good success crossing N. cantabricus as a mother with N. viridiflorus, it produces many seeds, but I have to wait if they will germinate. In other case I crossed N. bulbocodium subsp. validus x N. viridiflorus and this germinate.

Due my observations in the nature, the mother done almost all the DNA. So if I have success with N. cantabricus x N. viridiflors,  I could say that the hybrid will bloom like N. cantabricus, It will scent not so good like N. viridiflorus, It will be uniflower, white/greenish flower, high vegetative bulb division... I will try to cross both species in the other direction, N. viridiflorus as a mother and N. cantabricus as a father. Also in this hybrid I can imagine, that It will be a plant with several flowers, blooming in autumn, good scent, green/whitish flowers, shorter corona....

[Rafa]

http://trevaniondaffodils.com.au/jonquilsplus.html here some viridiflorus hybrids.

I also crossed successfully N. viridiflorus with N. albicans, N. jonquilla, N. gaditanus, N. willkomii, N. triandrus subsp. triandrus, N. iohannis, N. triandrus subsp. pallidulus... I hope one day post the results!

[fermi de Sousa]

http://trevaniondaffodils.com.au/jonquilsplus.html here some viridiflorus hybrids.

OMG! What is it with Canberra that some of the "break-through" breeding in dwarf daffs is happening there?

Thanks for your info, Rafa,
I'll be looking forward to your results!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Well you'd better try it Anthony. Nothing ventured.....

[Anthony Darby]

I poked a wet cocktail stick into the viridiflorus flower to see if I could self pollinate it. Did the same with the paper whites. BTW, are you supposed to use a different cocktail stick each time?