The List of ''Narcissus'' horticultural divisions is a classification of the cultivated varieties of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' Narcissus'' (), which are predominantly spring

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

plants in the family

Amaryllidaceae The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...

. Most

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

and

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s are known by the common name daffodil, while a few are called jonquils. The list of '' Narcissus'' horticultural divisions provided by the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

(RHS) is the standard method used to classify and describe cultivated varieties (

cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

) of ''Narcissus''. It is widely used since the RHS is the international authority for the registration of such cultivars. For horticultural purposes, all ''Narcissus'' cultivars are split into 13 divisions, as described by Kington (1998), for the RHS, based partly upon flower form (shape and length of

corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

– the "trumpet" or "cup"), particularly the ratio of corona to length of perianth segments (

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s or "petals"), the number of flowers per stem, flowering period and partly upon the genetic background. Division 11 (Split-corona) with its two subdivisions was the most recent group to be described (1969). Division 13, which includes all the wild rather than cultivated daffodils, is the exception to this scheme. This classification is a useful tool for planning planting. Most commercially available narcissi come from Divisions 1 (Trumpet), 2 (Large-cupped) and 8 (Tazetta). Growers register new daffodil cultivars by name and colour with the RHS, whose ''International Daffodil Register'' is regularly updated with supplements available online and is searchable. The most recent supplement (2014) is the sixth; the fifth was published in 2012. More than 27,000 names were registered as of 2008, and the number has continued to grow. However, because of

synonymy A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

, the actual number is probably closer to 18,000; only about 500 are in commercial production (470 in 2009–2010). Registered daffodils are given a division number and

colour code A color code is a system for displaying information by using different colors. The earliest examples of color codes in use are for long-distance communication by use of flags, as in semaphore communication. The United Kingdom adopted a color ...

such as 5W-W ('Thalia'). In horticultural usage it is not uncommon to also find another unofficial division of 'Miniatures', which, although drawn from the other 13 divisions, have their miniature size in common. These are sometimes referred to by nurseries as 'Division 14'. Over 140 narcissus cultivars have gained the

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Colour code

Daffodils may be self-coloured—i.e., both perianth and corona identical in colour and shade—or the colours between the perianth and corona may differ widely. Some perianths and some coronas may also contain more than one colour or shade. Prevalent colours are all shades and tones of yellow, white, orange, pink, red and green. Pinks vary from apricot to rose in shades from pale to deep, and some more recent cultivars have hints of lavender or lilac. Reds vary from orange-red to salmon red to near scarlet. Pink, red, orange and green tones are mainly confined to the corona. However, breeders are currently working against the genus' natural pigmentation and genetic barriers to create cultivars in which pink, rose, red, orange and green tones suffuse or "bleed" from the more highly coloured coronas onto the perianth segments of white or yellow. There is an increasing number of commercially available varieties which display this enhanced colouration. The colour classification lists the perianth colour and then the corona colour. In the case of multiple colours, the perianth colours are assigned from the outer edge of the perianth segments inward to their juncture with the base of the corona, while the corona colours are assigned from the base of the corona outward to the rim. Thus, 'Accent', a Large Cup (Division 2) Daffodil possessing a white perianth and a pink corona, is officially classified as 2W-P, 'Geranium', Tazetta (Division 8) with a white perianth and orange corona is 8W-O and 'Actaea', Poeticus (Division 9), with white perianth and multicoloured corona is 9W-GYR.

Colour code

Definitions of divisions

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography