68 
THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[May, 
should distinguish Daffodils from Narcissus proper, 
and not confound the flat-leaved with the Rush¬ 
leaved kinds. At a more recent date Salisbury, 
Haworth, and Herbert all worked among these 
flowers; but their methods of classification are obso¬ 
lete, and we are indebted to Mr. J. G. Baker, of 
Kew, for the clearest and most useful system of 
grouping, according to the relative length of the cup 
or corona as compared with the perianth segments ; 
these three main divisions may be subdivided into 
flat-leaved and Rush-leaved groups. 
The three main divisions, as characterised by the 
varying size of the cup or crown, are :— 
3Iagnicoronati, or “ Coffee Cup” section. 
Mediicoronati, or “ Tea Cup ” section. 
Parvicoronati, or “ Tea Saucer ” section. 
I. Magnicobonati. —Crown as long, or longer, 
than the perianth divisions. 
Flat-leaved. 
N. Pseitdo-Nabcisstjs.—T he type of this species 
is the common Daffodil of English meadows and 
orchards, and of this there are innumerable forms, 
ranging from the tiny N. minimus up to N. maximus, 
which is the tallest and largest of its race. All the 
varieties have flat glaucous leaves. 
Push-leaved. 
N. Bulbocodium. —The type of this species is the 
“ Hooped Petticoat ” Dafibdil of Southern Europe. 
There are many varieties, all easily recognised by 
the expanded corona, narrow perianth segments, de- 
clinate stamens, and green Rush-like leaves. 
If. Mediicoeonati. — Crowm half or rarely 
three-quarters as long as the perianth divisions. 
Flat-leaved. 
AT. incomparalilis. —1-flowered; leaf ^ inch broad, 
glaucous. 
N. Macleai. —1—2-flowered; leaves broad, greenish; 
crown bright yellow, three-quarters as long as the 
spreading white perianth segments (? hybrid). 
N. dubius .—Many-flowered, with flattish, glaucous 
leaves; peidanth-segments 3 —B lines long; cup 3 
lines deep. 
N. poculiformis {montanus). —1—2-flowered, all 
white; crown half as long as the perianth divisions; 
flower “dog-eared,” but 3 to 4 inches in diameter. 
Rush-leaved. 
N. odorus (Campernelle Jonquil).—All yellow; 
2—5-flowered, with bright green Rush-like leaves. 
N. juncifolius. —1—5-flowered, much smaller than 
N. odorus, with a flattish corona. 
N. triandrus. —1—5-flowered ; perianth divisions 
reflexed, like a Cyclamen flower. 
Fh. calatkinus. —1—2-flowered, with reflexed seg¬ 
ments, like the last, but shorter, and having a larger 
corona. 
III. Paevicoeonati. —Crown less than half as 
long as the perianth divisions. 
Flat-leaved. 
N. Tazetta .—IMany-flowered, with flat glaucous 
leaves, very variable. 
N. pachybolhus. 
N. bijlorus. —1—3-flowered, flowers like N.poeticus, 
creamy-white, cup pure yellow. 
N.poeticus. —l-flowered, white, with purple or red 
edged crown. 
N. Broussonetii .—Crown nearly suppressed. 
N. canariensis. 
Rush-leaved. 
N. intermedins. —Many-flowered, yellow. 
N. gracilis. —1—-2-flowered; flowers pale yellow, as 
large as N. poeticus. 
N. Jonquilla .—Many-flowered. 
N. jonquilloides. — Flowers deep yellow, very 
fragrant. 
Autumn-Jlowering. 
N. viridijlorus .—Many-flowered, perianth greenish. 
N. elegans. —1—3-flowered, pure white. 
N. serotinus .—Flowers after the leaves, very like 
the last, with broader perianth segments. 
As regards Narcissus hybrids, it is a matter of 
regret that the workers in this fertile field have left 
us scarcely any data or notes of how their numerous 
seedling and hybrid forms were produced. Herbert 
{Journ. R.R.S., ii., 1) has told us more than any 
one ; and the late Mr. W. Backhouse, of St. John’s, 
Walsingham (who raised the “Empress” and “Em¬ 
peror” Daffodils), contributed an interesting paper 
to the Oard. Chron. (June 10th, 1865). The late 
Mr. Leeds, of Longford Bridge, Manchester, who 
raised more new kinds than any one else, gave 
us no information whatever, nor did the late 
John Horsfield, the Lancashire weaver, who raised 
the “ Bicolor Horsfield ii Daffodil,” decidedly one 
of the most robust and beautiful of its race. The 
late Mr. Nelson, of Aldborough Rectory, near 
Norwich, raised a few varieties of especial merit, 
notably the noble sulphur Daffodil named “ Gertrude 
Jekyll,” and a white form of the dwarf Daffodil 
(N. nanus), but here cross-fertilisation was not 
resorted to. M. de Graaff’s fine new kinds are seed¬ 
lings of wind-fertilised hybrids. The moral here 
would seem to be, “ Raise seedlings—hybrids if you 
can—but raise seedlings.” 
Some of these hybrids have again yielded seedlings, 
so that the variations now observable are of the most 
divergent and perplexing kind. 
The culture of all the Daffodils and of nearly all 
the Narcissi is not difficult. Most of them are 
robust enough to increase in beauty from year to 
year if planted at the proper season in well-tilled 
soil. Some of the dwarf and tender species, as N. 
triandrus, N. juncifolius, N. Bulbocodium (especially 
the paler forms), N. viridijlorus, N. elegans, and N. 
serotinus, succeed best in pots in a cool house or frame. 
The white race of Daffodils also do best on a warm 
sunny border, but the yellow and bicolor Daffodils, 
and nearly all the hybrid kinds, will luxuriate in the 
open air border almost anywhere. The proper time 
to transplant Narcissus generally is in June, July, 
or August. They may be dug up as soon as the 
foliage has withered away, and if replanted imme¬ 
diately in good well-drained soil they do not- suffer 
much, if any, by removal. It is a good plan to mulch 
well with rotten manure, just before flowering time; 
and if very fine fresh flowers for show or decorative 
uses are wanted, cut them whilst they are in the 
bud stage, and place them in water indoors to ex¬ 
pand. In sending flowers by post pack them in the 
bud stage, and thus many buds can be sent which 
will all open fresh and fair if placed in water imme¬ 
diately on their arrival. 
—F. W. B. 
PRIMULA SIEBOLDII. 
fHERE are now so many beautiful forms 
i" of this Japanese Primrose that it is a 
wonder they are not more grown. 
There is reason to fear that those 
who obtain small plants in the first instance, 
are not satisfied with the way in which they 
flower the first year in consequence of being 
small, and that they do not persevere. An 
enthusiastic amateur florist writing a few 
