Description
This has deep green, almost tubular, leaves about 4mm in diameter, which can reach up to 25cm long, depending on conditions. The flower is held on a pedicel of 7-23mm length and is a large conical trumpet up to 45mm across at the mouth, in the largest specimens. In our plants the trumpet is a pleasing, wide cone (and not narrowly flared as in forms of some bulbocodium). The flowers of our stock are an intense, deep and well-coloured and of a rich, concolorus golden yellow, the form which is considered typical.
The stamens are held usually within the confines of the corona, with the upturned style protruding beyond these, though usually this also stays (just) within the corona. i.e. it does not protrude. The tepals are quite narrow and are golden yellow with a greenish yellow base. They are shorter than the corona though they can still reach 20mm long by 5mm wide.
N. b. validus has some similarities with subsp. citrinus from which it differs by its larger flowers which are intense, golden yellow (rather than pale yellow). It is characterised from subsp. bulbocodium which has smaller flowers and which rarely exceed 30 mm.
In the wild N. b. validus was described from N. Spain in quite a small area centred on Burgos, where it is said to be abundant in meadows or heaths within the humid basin of the River Urbel. Here it grows at higher altitudes than its nearest relative citrinus, which is found more toward the coast and at lower altitudes. Poor diagnosis has resulted in confusion of the various subspecies and this is also affected by botanical opinion as to where one species ends and another begins. For example Narcissus bulbocodium validus was first described by Barra in 2003 but it was not accepted by Rico 10 years later. This sort of disagreement means also that distribution maps of all bulbocodium forms vary wildly in what they show.
In cultivation this is a wonderful and distinct form which makes its large flowers in February here. It is our largest flowered form and I have not seen any other bulbocodium forms that are bigger. The flowers initially sit quite low and this makes them seem even larger, then, slowly the flower stem lengthens and brings them right into view. Cultivation is best in well-drained compost in a frame or alpine house which lets you seen the flowers unspoiled early in the year. If grown in pots this does NOT like too severe a summer rest we find. In the garden it will be later to flower and can perhaps be left in for a number of years, before lifting to divide.
Raised from seed of cultivated Rafael Diez plants.
Introduced to our lists February 2021
