OBSERVATIONS ON PORTUGUESE NARCISSI. 



105 



tlie latter are not so expanded as the ordinary Portuguese form, 

 nor are the flowers so large ; still, we often find plants here 

 identical with the Spanish form. 



N. Johnstoni. — The only locality for this handsome variety 

 is now completely under cultivation, so that very few plants 

 remain ; hut I have cultivated it in my garden for two years, and 

 the plants are increasing by offsets. No other locality for this 

 species has been met with in Portugal or, as far as I know, in 

 Europe. 



Natural Hybrids. — This season we have met with several of 

 these. Three specimens appeared mixed up with a quantity of 

 the yellow Ajax collected near Oporto by a labourer ; the flowers 

 were considerably damaged, but enough remained to show that 

 they were of a rich yellow colour, the cup short and like that of 

 triandrus, but the perianth segments were long, as in Pseudo- 

 Narcissus. 



Mr. Gordon found two, and my gardener another two, 

 specimens of the supposed hybrid of Pseudo-Narcissus x trian- 

 drus, which I had met with in 1886, 1887 and 1888. In the four 

 specimens found this spring the flowers were identical and of 

 the usual pale sulphur colour. This hybrid has been described 

 and figured by Professor Henriques, under the name of Narcissus 

 Taiti, in the " Boletim da Sociedade Broteriana " 1887, vol. v., 

 p. 173 ; he also figures a two-flowered specimen which I found 

 growing near one of the usual form. 



N. triandrus, varieties concolor and pulcliellus. — Last year 

 a friend brought me a flower of a triandrus, which appeared to 

 be identical with some triandrus pulchellus sent to me by 

 Mr. Wolley Dod, so this year we visited and carefully studied 

 the plant in its native home. I understand that it is not found 

 in the wild state out of Portugal, and at present we know of only 

 two localities in this country. 



In the district we visited last week, we found both the pul- 

 chellus and concolor varieties, with intermediate forms, growing 

 together, but only one white triandrus appeared, and the flower 

 had a suspiciously yellow tinge. The plants grew on the strongly 

 inclined rocky slopes of small streams in a shallow peaty loam, 

 damp in winter and very dry and well drained in summer ; in 

 every case the plants grew under the shade of pines (Pinus mari- 

 tima), cork, and arbutus trees. The roots were rather deeply 



