THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 30, 1905. 
■ t 2 
THF - 
T DEVELOPMENT of the DAFFODIL. ■$* 
(See Supplement.) 
very tiny wild forms when improving the 
garden Daffodils with the view of getting 
larger ones. It is the custom and practice of 
theflorist always to take the largest and best 
to hand, so that varieties with large blooms 
were used in securing this remarkably hand¬ 
some Daffodil. 
It requires no great stretch of the imagina¬ 
tion, however, to say that King Alfred has 
been developed by the agency of man from a 
relatively small flower during a period of many 
years and passing through many generations. 
Several First Class Certificates and Awards of 
Merit have been accorded this magnificent 
Daffodil. 
We propose now to deal with the other 
Daffodils appearing in this illustration, and 
which bear a close relationship botanically to 
the English Daffodil, though of distinct forms 
and for garden purposes decidedly distinct. 
No. 5 represents Queen of Spain (N. John- 
stoni), a lovely Daffodil of moderate size and 
uniformly lemon in colour. Other distin¬ 
guishing features are the clipped-like end of 
the trumpet and the reflexed segments, which 
are also often more or less twisted, giving the 
plant a charming and graceful appearance. 
It was found wild in Spain by Mr. Peter Barr, 
and is still introduced in all its native charm. 
Another Trumpet Daffodil is N. cycia- 
mineus, characterised by having no tube be¬ 
neath the segments, but a long trumpet and 
reflexed segments, recalling a Cyclamen, as is 
indicated by the name. After having been 
lost for many years this has been rediscovered 
and reintroduced to cultivation. The whole 
flower is yellow. 
Fig. 7 represents the Daffodil Rip van 
Winkle, which is a double form of N. minor, 
discovered growing in a naturalised condition 
in Ireland, of which country it is considered a 
native. The flowers are pale yellow. 
Fig. 8 represents Queen Anne’s Double 
Daffodil, variously known as N. Capax plenus 
or N. eystettensis. The flowers are almost of 
uniform sulphur-yellow or lemon. Botanically 
the most remarkable feature of it is that it 
consists of numerous segments arranged over 
one another in six rows, thus representing a 
six-rayed star. 
The two little Daffodils at the lower right- 
hand corner represent the ordinary Hoop 
Petticoat Daffodil (N. Bulbocodium) and one 
of its varieties, namely, N. B. citrinus. The 
type has very small greenish-yellow segments 
and a relatively large, widely expanded 
golden-yellow crown. The variety on the ex¬ 
treme lower right-hand corner has a very 
much larger and more expanded but pale 
lemon trumpet. Usually this type is con¬ 
sidered a different species from the English 
Lent Lily. Queen of Spain (N. Johnstoni) 
and N. Cyclameneus are now regarded as 
different species, although they have their 
relationships to our native Daffodil. 
Not a New Plaxt Disease. —That benefi¬ 
cent authority the Board of Agriculture is 
constantly dispensing information by the road¬ 
side in rural districts in. the form of big 
placards notifying certain pains and penalties 
which farmers and others may incur if they 
do not take this or that precaution. The 
latest of these portentous posters is all about 
'Epizootic lymphangitis,” and no little con¬ 
sternation was at first caused among horti¬ 
culturists, in one district at any rate, lest 
this was an announcement of a new plant 
disease. It would appear to be the name, 
however, of a horsey trouble.' 
Under the above heading we propose to deal 
with another set of Daffodils, including two 
races of very distinct white ones. During 
recent years there has been an immense im¬ 
provement amongst white varieties, and 
readers may remember that the first startling 
development of leading improvements in this 
section was Madame cle Graaff. On this occa¬ 
sion we shall commence with the simplest wild 
form, which has given rise to the strain to 
which Madame de Graaff belongs, but it has 
been superseded in point of size. 
The simplest wild form is a tiny but very 
beautiful Daffodil known as Narcissus mos- 
chatus (Fig. 4) or N. Pseudo-narcissus mos- 
chatus, although the leading modern authori¬ 
ties retain the Musk Daffodil as a distinct 
species native to the Pyrenees. The segments 
of this flower are narrow and, like the 
trumpet, wholly white. Another strong 
feature is the nodding character of the flower, 
owing to the strong bend at the top of the 
stalk" and this is seen in many of the larger 
and cultivated modern varieties. 
We cannot in the space at our command do 
anything more than merely name some of the 
intermediates between N. moschatus and N. 
Madame de Graaff, but that will be sufficient 
to show the line of development that has been 
pursued in gradually evolving larger forms. 
Some of the earlier forms were N. cemuus, 
N. c. pulcher, N. albicans, N. moschatus tor- 
tucsus, and N. William Goldring or the Swan’s 
Neck Daffodil. 
As above stated, Madame de Graaff is a vast 
advance upon any of these in point of size, 
and we are not at all surprised that it should 
have caused a sensation when it first appeared. 
From Madame de Graaff we can proceed to 
Mrs. Camm, J. B. M. Camm, Mrs. George 
H. Barr, and John Davidson. These are all 
magnificent Daffodils, although we suspect 
that there is some blood of N. bicolor In some 
of them. The most recent sensation in this 
group was Peter Barr (Fig. 7), which we re¬ 
gard as a descendant from the tiny wild N. 
moschatus through a large number of genera- 
tions. AVo reckon that- the two are allied 
from the fact that they have got oblong 
perianth segments. There can be little doubt 
that Peter Barr is the finest white Trumpet 
Daffodil in this section, both in size, sub¬ 
stance, and uniform purity of colour. It has 
the oblong segments of the wild original, as 
above stated. 
Another race of Daffodils has been im¬ 
mensely improved within the last few years, 
and has directly descended from the N. 
bicolor, still regarded by good authorities as 
a variety of the English Lent Lily. I he 
broad, overlapping, ovate, and white segments 
are its distinguishing feature, accompanied by 
the yellow trumpet. Those who inspect any 
large collection of Daffodils will find that- most 
of the largest ones having two colours belong 
to this section (Fig. 9). The last-named figure 
represents Duke of Bedford, a splendid flower 
measuring 4£in. across the segments. The 
trumpet is clear soft yellow and of great sub¬ 
stance. The variety is earlier than bicolor 
Horsfieldii, and sweetly scented. It has also 
received First Class Certificates from leading 
societies in Britain. 
Two other Trumpet Daffodils remain to be 
dealt with on our supplementary sheet. Fig. 
5 represents Princeps, sometimes placed 
amongst bicolor Daffodils, but which we re¬ 
gard as a pale form of the English Lent Lily. 
It has been picked up in a wild or naturalised 
condition in Ireland and Italy. It has sul¬ 
phur-white segments and a yellow trumpet. 
Being a large and attractive flower and very 
easily forced, it is highly popular amongst 
growers who require early flowers under glass. 
Fig. 3 represents N. Johnstoni King of Spain, 
which only differs from Queen of Spain in 
having a more expanded and fringed mouth to 
the trumpet. 
Fig. 1 represents N. triandrus, popularly 
known as Angels’ Tears. It belongs to the 
medium-crowned section, characterised by 
having a crown about half the length of the 
segments. Each stem bears an umbel of one 
tc- six or more drooping flowers, which vary 
ii. colour from pure white to clear light yellow. 
It is extremely pretty and graceful, and has 
been largely used in hybridising, and the re¬ 
sultant forms strengthen the suspicion that 
N. Johnstoni is a natural hybrid between N. 
triandrus and probably some wild form of N. 
Pseudo-narcissus. As large forms have been 
used in producing hybrids with it, the new 
varieties have the form of N. Johnstoni, but 
are usually very much larger. 
Another medium-crowned Daffodil is repre¬ 
sented by Lucifer (Fig. 8). This is one of the 
varieties raised from N. incomparabilis, and 
we place it in this group on account of its 
remarkably fine glowing orange-red chalice 
and broad white segments. Usually Daffodils 
with an orange trumpet are liable to be burnt 
by the sun, but the colour of this one lasts 
well in full sunshine. 
A very pretty medium-crowned Daffodil is 
N. Leedsii Ariadne, with lanceolate, very much 
overlapping segments of a creamy white and a 
very widely expanded plaited lemon-yellow 
crown measuring lin. in expanse (Fig. 6). 
The uppermost flower in the picture is N. 
poetieus Cassandra, by good authorities con¬ 
sidered the finest variety in this section. It 
is, of course, a garden-raised form, and has 
been honoured with an Award of Merit. Its 
leading merit is the broad, overlapping white 
segments. The very small cup of this small- 
crowned Daffodil is deeply edged with a dark- 
red rim. The flower stems are also strong, 
and hold the blooms well above the foliage. 
While all of the above Daffodils are more or 
less clcsely related or made so by artificial 
crossing, there remains another Narcissus on 
our supplementary sheet which does not seem 
to have been employed for crossing, nor has it 
been greatly improved by cultivation, notwith¬ 
standing the millions of bulbs which have 
been grown more or less extensively for a long 
period of years. We refer to N. Jon- 
quilla (Fig. 2), the Jonquil. It belongs 
to the small-crowned section of Daffo¬ 
dils, and produces an umbel of two to 
six or more flowers on a stem, these being 
uniformly bright yellow throughout. The leaves 
are narrow and Rush-like, hence the name, 
which means a little Rush. It might be more 
extensively cultivated in private establish¬ 
ments than it is for the sake of its deliciously 
scented flowers. No doubt the largest number 
of bulbs are cultivated in the south of France, 
where the species is grown for the sake of the 
perfume which is extracted from its flowers. 
The flowers from which our illustration was 
prepared were given us by Messrs. Barr and 
Sons, King Street, Covent Garden. 
