NOVEMBER. 
233 
NARCISSUS JUNCIFOLIUS. 
WITH AN ILLUSTRATION. 
“A beautiful dwarf-growing hardy bulb, from stony pastures of the 
Pyrenees, having neat rush-like foliage, and comparatively large bright yellow 
flowers, from one to three on a scape, and remarkably showy.” Such is the 
description of this plant published in the Report of the May Meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, at which it was exhibited by Messrs. Backhouse 
and Son, of York, to whom we are indebted for the opportunity of figuring it. 
The plant, as will be seen, well merits all that is said in its favour. 
The accompanying drawing by Mr. Fitch, accidentally mislabelled A. gra- 
minifolius , will give a very good idea of the elegance and beauty of this rare 
spring-flowering bulb, as well as of the slight variation in the form and colour 
of its flowers, which was apparent in the tuft shown by Messrs. Backhouse, 
and has been 'very well indicated by our artist. The plant must become a 
favourite with those who love spring flowers. 
Dean Herbert notices three varieties of N. juncifolius , differing, however, 
chiefly in stature ; but it is probable that these, coming as they do from differ¬ 
ent localities, may be rather taken as indications of difference of soil or climate, 
than permanent variations ; although, as we have said, the species does vary 
to a certain extent, both in colour-tint and in the lobing of the coronet. The 
following is the technical description of the plant, indicative of its distinctive 
peculiarities:—Scape, one to three-flowered; leaves, very narrow; flowers, 
bright yellow ; limb, about twice the length of the cup, the margin of which 
is undulated and indistinctly lobed. It is a native of the southern mountainous 
provinces of France, and of Spain and Portugal; and, according to Kunth, 
includes the Queltia pusilla of Herbert, and the Philogyne minor of Haworth. 
The Narcissi are so interesting and valuable as spring flowers, and there is 
so much to be gained amongst them by the well-directed efforts of the hybri- 
diser, that we venture to commend to the especial attention of any of our 
readers, who may have leisure to engage in a similar task, the following record 
of results communicated last spring to the Gardeners Chronicle by Mr. W. 
Backhouse, of Wolsingham The Daffodils ( Narcissus major , Ajax , Pseudo- 
Narcissus , minor , and moschatus ,) cross with one another, and they produce 
seeds as freely as the parents. The colours are not merely intermediate, but 
of all shades, between the colours of the parents, where these differ as in 
moschatus. N. bicolor seeds badly, and is deficient in pollen ; but from crosses 
of the other Daffodils with it I have raised some of the largest and finest of 
the class. These also seed badly, and their produce has a tendency to revert 
to the Daffodil. The roots of N. bicolor are very much larger, and shaped 
somewhat differently from the others, and the crosses from it have the same 
peculiarity ; the colours of the seedlings vary from those of the parents, through 
white with lemon cups, to almost pure white 
“ From the Daffodils crossed by N. angustifolius, the kinds called fcetidus by 
Dean Herbert, are produced; and the cross is intermediate between the parents 
when N. major and Pseudo-Narcissus are used ; but with N. poeticus the variety 
is greater, and some with very fine expanded cups occur. The variety seems 
to be also greater when some of the seedling varieties of Daffodil are used. 
These crosses seed very sparingly, but may occasionally be got to produce seed 
by a cross with either parent; those with the Daffodil having shorter cups than 
N major or moschatus , and those with N. poeticus or angustifolius being inter¬ 
mediate, and with generally a red edge to the cup. Seeds I have sown from 
plants not artificially impregnated produce the same result, some showing the 
