Description
‘Astraea’
2Y-YYO
[Incomparabilis 2a]
(Leeds, E., pre-1851; {N. hispanicus var. propinquus × N. calathinus}?)
Named after the Greek goddess of justice and innocence, this daffodil “absorbed” her dwarfer contemporary ‘Queen Mab’. On opening, as in ‘Queen Mab’, the rich primrose-yellow perianth segments are neatly perpendicular to the short, pleated funnel of straw-gold. Soon, the perianth becomes sulphur tipped and the segments reflex, twist, and become spreading as the margins recurve, just as in ‘Queen Mab’, but the corona tends to expand to a fluted, lightly ruffled bowl. Depending on the season, the perianth can bleach to sulphur white, and the orange staining at the corona rim varies in intensity, from soft carrot-red to all but absent. According to Barr’s 1884 Conference List, this “florists’” name replaced the polynomial Incomparabilis Sulphureus aureo-tinctus.
