Saw this growing in several spots along the road, and also at one old homesite in a rural area this weekend. I thought it was an old narcissus or daffodil sp. when I saw it near the old place, until I also saw it growing alongside the road at two different locations. Can anyone ID it? Awfully late for daffodils and narcissus to be blooming here, so I'm not convinced of its true identity. How would it start up on the roadside, with no obvious reason someone would have planted it there?
I'm no expert, but I think I ID'd some great possibilities for this bulb in another thread. Here are my two posts to that thread:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=8500526
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=8500545
Hope this helps!
That totally helped! I do believe it is 'Twin Sisters,' which, of course, has a zillion other names. I left the bulbs undisturbed at the homeplace, but would like to go back in a few weeks and get a few from the bunch by the road where, presumably, no one will care. I don't know much about the sex life of these bulbs!! How did they start growing by the road, with no obvious dwelling, old driveway etc nearby? It does not seem likely they were intentionally planted...
From what I read in Ogden's book, these daffodils have been planted in the mid-South for hundreds of years. If there was a house or other building there 200 years ago, it's certainly possible that no trace of it would be visible now.
That could explain it--the first clump I spotted was by old wheel ruts--obviously an old homesite. The second ones were just on the edge of a paved road, nowhere near any obvious old roads, dwellings etc. Any idea how long-lived these clumps could be?
I have no idea. Scott Ogden says it's been cultivated since the 16th century.
Thanks for all the info! Very helpful!
You're welcome. I'm certainly no expert in daffodils. I just happened to have the right book at the right time.
Yes indeed, they look like Twin Sisters. These are a lot more common than I thought at first. Apparently they spread very easily in the south. I see them in clumps too. For instance, I watched several clumps bloom and mature along the interstate highway. The bulbs were apparently in the fill dirt when the interstate was constructed in about 1970. Some of the bulbs were near the surface and were able to put up green tops and grow there. Today, forty years later, they have formed clumps 16 inches or so in diameter. I believe the clumps grew by bulb division. Next year I will watch these sites more closely and try to get a better idea of their size and makeup and photograph them. What would a clump look like that is a hundred years old?
Cibarius
That's interesting to know, Cibarius. That is exactly what apparently happened to the one clump I noticed along the road, with no homesites nearby. They seem so hardy--I tried to pull one up, and it was firmly attached, growing in tough, compacted soil. Can't imagine what a really old clump would look like, but I assume it would look like a large patch, versus a clump...
N. × medioluteus is very confusing but lovey. 1768. Patti
http://daffseek.org/query/query-detail.php?value1=N.%20x%20medioluteus&lastpage=1&which=hist1
“April Beauty”, “Cemetery Ladies”, “Loving Couples”, “Primrose Peerless”, “Twin Sisters” "Anot"
Synonym(s): N. albus Miller; N. x biflorus Curtis; N. cothurnalis Salisbury; N. dianthos Haworth; N. x grenieri Richter; N. loretii Rouy; N. tazetta-poeticus Grenier & Godron; N. triflorus Haworth
Great info! Thanks
