The Image of Daffodil in Art and Botanical Illustration: Clues to the History of Domestication and Selection of Narcissus subgenus Ajax (Amaryllidaceae)

The "Ajax Group " (i.e. Pseudonarcissus) is one of the most important ancestors of modern daffodils cultivars. The manner in which these plants were introduced into the English, French and Dutch gardens appears relatively obscure since most are endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. This chapter compares data from Arab texts of agriculture, European Renaissance, and Prelinnaean texts and illustrations, with the morphological characteristics of primitive cultivars of trumpet daffodils and the related wild taxa from of Spain and Portugal. The relationships among wild plants, domesticated plants, and primitive cultivars were investigated through a cluster analysis of the characters available from figures or botanical illustrations. The tree resulting from the Complete linkage analysis and UPGMA analysis distinguished 26 different groups including wild; cultivated and wild; and cultivated daffodils. A comparison of early descriptions, localities, and illustrations with currently wild species confirmed that several Iberian Peninsula endemics were cultivated in Central European gardens between the 16th and 18th centuries. Examples are