Description
A dwarf form of Narcissus bulbocodium from mountainous areas in central and northern Portugal and Spain. It is exclusively a plant of the Iberian peninsula and the occurences once thought to be nivalis from snowmelt meadows in the uplands parts Morocco, are now regarded as not belonging to Narcissus bulbocodium nivalis but to one of two other, separate, species; Narcissus jeanmonodii and Narcissus jacquemoudii.
In the wild N. b. nivalis almost always grows in peaty soils close to the snowline, where it flowers in very wet conditions as the melting snow retreats. Later these habitats become drier of course and coarse grasses and sedges grow up providing competition but also, importantly, shade.
Not surprisingly, it is ideal for cold gardens however it is also happy in a pot, grown under alpine glass (but not too warm). Grown outside, this is our very last hoop-petticoat daffodil to flower, lingering into the third week or April (in 2020 & 2021). These are seed-raised in cultivation from parents originally found in Portugal.
