6 DAFFODILS NARCISSUS 



in their original locations. The typical nar- 

 cissus, or small-cupped poeticus and Tazetta 

 types, are indigenous to regions bordering the 

 Mediterranean, their centre being in Greece 

 and Italy; some of the cluster-flowered Ta- 

 zettas (better known as polyanthus narcis- 

 sus) are wild in the Orient as far as Asia; the 

 trumpet narcissus or true daffodils are mostly 

 found wild in Great Britain and Western 

 Europe. 



These three important species, with a few 

 sub-species of lesser importance, slowly 

 spreading inch by inch, annually, by offshoot 

 or seed, over mountain and through valley 

 wherever conditions invited often met; and 

 as all wild, single-flowering narcissus produce 

 seed, the different types sometimes crossing 

 when in proximity and in flower at the same 

 time, they have thus blended and given rise 

 to mixed descendants natural hybrids, some 

 of which resemble one parent, some the other. 

 Occasionally the offspring or hybrid would be 

 so different from either parent that a new 

 wild type was produced. 



In addition to the above causes of variety 

 in wild narcissus and daffodils, other natural 



