8 THE BOOK OF THE DAFFODIL 



crown, inversely, is very short indeed, and is widely 

 expanded at about a right angle into a saucer-like shape. 

 The perianth segments, which enclose this small crown, 

 spread out widely and flatly at right angles to the tube 

 and are four or five times the length of the crown or 

 even more. The six stamens are divided into two sets 

 of three each, three being inserted near the mouth, the 

 other three at a point further down, below the crown, 

 but high up in the tube. 



And now if flowers, say of the Incomparabilis or 

 Leedsii or Odorus groups be bisected, their structural 

 conformation will be found to be intermediate between 

 that of the two flowers already examined. The corona 

 will be neither of a trumpet nor saucer-like shape, but 

 in the form of a cup. The relative lengths of the 

 perianth tube, perianth segments, and crown, and the 

 width of angle which separates the segments from the 

 crown, will all be intermediate between those of the 

 Daffodil and the Pheasant's Eye flower. So too within 

 the tube, the position and other characteristics of the 

 stamens vary somewhat in different varieties, but will 

 be intermediate between those of the stamens of the 

 Daffodil and of the Poeticus flower. 



It is upon such structural variations as these that 

 Mr Baker has based the classification of the Narcissus 

 which is now generally followed. 



The whole genus is divided into three large groups, 

 according to the relative size of the corona. These are : — 



I. The Magni-Coronati Group, made up, as the 

 name implies, of those smaller groups of Narcissi which 

 have long crowns or trumpets. These are the true 

 Daffodils. 



II. The Medio-Coronati Group, made up of those 

 which have crowns or cups of medium size. These are 

 called Chalice-flowers or Star Narcissi. 



III. The Parvi-Coronati Group, composed of those 



