78 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



centres being Portugal, Spain, and Southern France ; one 

 species, viz. N. Tazetta, is ubiquitous, passing in a more or less 

 broken line from the Canary Islands, through North Africa and 

 the Mediterranean region, to Persia, Cashmere, North India, and 

 eventually to China and Japan. Their related allies in Europe 

 and Western Asia are, Leucojum, Galanthus, Sternbergia, and 

 Tapeinanthus or Carregnoa. The general distribution of the 

 whole natural order of Amaryllids is indicated roughly on this 

 map, and I look upon Amaryllidaceas as a branch, or offshoot, 

 more highly developed, from the order of true Lilies. 



We now come to a critical point, viz., What are the good 

 wild or natural species of Narcissi ? 



Species. 



The late Dr. John Lindley, writing in the " Botanical Eegis- 

 ter," in the year 1824, evidently felt ill at ease, and a little irri- 

 tated perhaps, at the way in which Haworth and others of that 

 epoch had named the Daffodils. " We cannot avoid stating our 

 opinion," says Lindley, " that the whole genus Narcissus re- 

 quires to be revised with a judicious yet severe hand.* It may 

 then be discovered that the number of genuine species is very 

 few, and that the individuals, which it has become the fashion to 

 call species, are merely variations capable of being so dis- 

 tinguished. This we have reason to know is also the opinion of 

 Mr. Sabine, who has probably examined a greater number of 

 plants of this genus than any other person. It will also, we 

 think, be decided that in most instances Mr. Haworth's genera 

 are the species, and such of his species as can be distinguished 

 from each other the varieties, of Narcissi." 



Looking fairly at all the facts of the case as known in nature, 

 or as occurring in gardens, I think we may safely infer that the 

 really good species of Narcissi are very few, and that many of 

 the others now known are the results of hybridism or cross- 

 breeding. 



The type species of Narcissus, concerning which there need 

 be but little, if any, difference of opinion, are as follows : — 



* Mr. Baker did this in a masterly manner in 18G9, and in his " Amaryl- 

 lidaceoe " of 1889. 



