A quaint little white daffodil grown and loved in England more than 300 years ago is the cernuus or swan neck daffodil (Narcissus moschatus).
Demure and feminine in expression, it is unlike many of our robust yellow trumpet hybrids.
The curved neck and slender trumpet, with narrow perianth segments draped about it gracefully, give it a distinctive appearance.
It is frequently found growing in old gardens, especially in the country’s northeastern part.
Cernuus Plant Nomenclature
I have obtained it from several sources and under such names as White Lady, Swan Neck, and Cernuus, but never under what I believe is the correct name of N. moschatus.
At least two daffodil authorities, J. Jefferson-Brown, and E. A. Bowles agrees that N. moschatus is the correct name.
Perhaps you may wonder why it makes any difference whether it is called Cernuus or White Lady.
Only by knowing its name can we trace its history in the writings of English gardeners and botanists.
Also, it is satisfying to know that the same little white trumpet, invariably admired by visitors in my garden, is a direct descendant of N. moschatus grown in British gardens for over 300 years.
Narcissus Moschatus
The first time I saw this daffodil was in a friend’s garden who gave me a few bulbs.
Later, I obtained a few of White Lady from a small grower in Alabama. A White Lady is listed in the Royal Horticultural Society’s classified list of daffodils, but it is a small-cupped variety with a white perianth and yellow cup.
Mine was not White Lady but N. moschatus. I obtained a few bulbs of N. moschatus from another grower in South Carolina, which were labeled Swan Neck.
In my garden, these have grown vigorously and multiplied with perhaps somewhat more than normal speed.
Ideal Plant For A Cool Corner
This white trumpet daffodil is an attractive plant for a cool corner, especially among small rocks where moss and slender ferns grow.
It seems to thrive in such a location, where seedlings appear in varying sizes. Perfectly hardy, its blooms, borne on 6″ inches-high stems, bend, and curve as a swan’s neck to give them the characteristic drooping poise.
The flowers of this gem are uniformly white, sometimes cream tinted. The twisted petals, which droop towards the slender and little cut corona, discolor after a week or 10 days and then wither.
However, they last about as well as other daffodils, either in the gardens or as cut flowers.
44659 by R. R. Thomasson