Division 5 Daffodils: Narcissus Triandrus

Division 5 daffodils are the narcissus triandrus group. Triandrus daffodils have two or more flowers per stem. One of the popular names for triandrus daffodils is "Angel's Tears" which is a reference to the form of the flower rather than the name of a particular variety.The flowers are pendant meaning they face downward and appear to dangle from the stems.Wild narcissus triandrus flowers have highly reflexed,twisted petals.

Although wild or specie narcissus triandrus flowers are usually pale yellow like the Spanish wildflower above, most of today's popular garden hybrids are white. The white triandrus daffodils produce the crispest whites of any daffodils outside the poeticus division. Modern hybrids usually have petals that are less reflexed than the wild forms due to crossing with tazetta type daffodils.

Thalia, introduced in 1916, is still the most popular triandrus daffodil grown in gardens today. It is pleasantly fragrant and naturalizes well. This is the patch of Thalia that grows in my garden. It blooms in late March or early April in Zone 7.

Most narcissus  triandrus bulbs are mid season bloomers. They do very well here in the south and should perform well in other areas if they are given a sunny spot that drains well. They will not do well in a damp, shaded area.

Note: I have seen a couple of sources state that all hybrid triandrus daffodils are sterile which means they would not need to be deaheaded. I'm not totally certain on that although I have noticed that Thalia doesn't produce much of a seedhead and its double form Calgary  definitely doesn't produce seeds so it may be true that deadheading would not be required of any of the triandrus varieties.

White Daffodil Mixture
Triandrus daffodils seem to be in short supply this season but this mixture of white daffodils has a few triandrus specimens.

Next up: Narcissus cyclamineus,another near wild type of daffodil that, unlike Triandrus,does like a damper shadier area. 

*Narcissus triandrus photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons