The Iconic Jonquil

Bulb planting season is just around the corner. I've been digging around my mom's yard, redoing her flower beds, and in the process unearthed hundreds of daffodil bulbs. 

I was amazed by a daffodil called 'Trevithian'. I first bought 30 of these bulbs eight years ago. This year I dug up about 400. I've given some away in the past, which means the population might have grown to 500 or 600.

Narcissus 'Trevithian'

'Trevithian' is a special kind of daffodil. It belongs to the division Jonquilla, the jonquils. These daffodils descend from Narcissus jonquilla and other closely-related species from the Iberian peninsula.

Jonquils usually have from 1-3 flowers per stem, rounded, rushlike foliage, and a strong, sweet fragrance. Jonquils are also among the most successful and prolific daffodils in the Deep South. In fact, driving along a rural highway in February and March, you're likely to find them growing in roadside ditches and abandoned lots.

Narcissus jonquilla var. jonquilla, which blooms late.

Narcissus jonquilla var. henriquesii, which blooms early.

Some Narcissus jonquilla var. henriquesii bulbs I grew from seed.

To me, the jonquil is an iconic, legendary flower. It embodies the idea of a people and a place. I am fascinated in all aspects of this plant.

'Trevithian', technically speaking, is a triploid jonquil hybrid, meaning that it has three sets of chromosomes instead of the usual two. This causes the plant to be (mostly) infertile (the reproductive cells cannot divide normally), more vigorous, and more robust (every cell is larger to accommodate the extra set of chromosomes). Most Jonquil cultivars are triploid, caused by crossing tetraploid (4 sets of chromosomes) standard daffodils with N. jonquilla and allies, which are diploid (2 sets of chromosomes).

'Trevithian' in twilight

Another jonquil I've grown is 'Hillstar'. 'Hillstar' is special among jonquil cultivars in that it is tetraploid, and therefore fertile. This means that 'Hillstar' can be crossed with other fertile daffodils to produce fertile offspring. It is therefore useful in breeding. I also like 'Hillstar' because it's a reverse bicolor. The petals are yellow and the corona becomes white as the flower ages. It blooms a few weeks later than 'Trevithian'.

If you look closely at the photos, you see 'Hillstar' has anthers with developed pollen whereas 'Trevithian' and 'Bell Song' (below) do not.

Narcissus 'Hillstar'

Another jonquil I've grown is 'Bell Song'. Like 'Trevithian', it's triploid, but it blooms at the end of the season and is not very prolific (none of the pink daffodils are in the South, as far as I know). Still, it comes back reliably every year.

Narcissus 'Bell Song'

This year I've decided to test out many other jonquil cultivars, including some white, pink, and orange ones. I'll hopefully have some nice photos and reviews by next spring.