"Skinny Flat White" 8W-W
Numerous old varieties were sold as "white" polyanthus narcissus that were *not* paperwhites. All had lightly colored cups most of which faded to white, some within the first day, others after a few days. As presumably these are derived from crosses between bicolor tazettas and paperwhites (N. papyraceus ), the foliage is not the glaucous blue-green of paperwhites. Instead, these have much broader yellow-green leaves and are a stouter plant form, giving a different feel in the landscape. There is a range of petal and corona forms. Petals range from narrow, giving a starry appearance, to very broad resulting in a round floret. Coronas vary from short bowls and small cups to crinkled and tall funnel. All have greater petal substance than heirloom paperwhites. Last but not least, the fragrance is definitely not of the N. papyraceus type.
To date eleven "white" tazettas have been collected. Bloom times general fall into two main periods - from Fall into Winter, then Winter into Late Winter. The fragrance on the Late Winter bloomers is quite similar to 'Grand Primo Citroniere'. The fragrance of one Fall/Winter bloomer is light and sweet, reminiscent of a bicolor tazetta.
White tazettas sold widely from the late 19th century into the early 20th century but since lost in the mists of time are: "Bouquet sans Pariel," 'Louis le Grand' and 'White Perfection'. 'Louis le Grand' seems to have become comingled with 'White Pearl' by the late 1800s, and other catalog confusions reigned with the white tazettas. Even the brilliant Dutch plantsman J.H. Krelage felt compelled to pen his opinion as to the differences between 'White Pearl', 'White Perfection', 'Luna' and 'Louis le Grand'. "Bouquet sans Pariel" seems never to have been formally registered with the RHS . (Dutch wholesalers listed it as "Bouquet sans Pareille"). It was sold from 1895 to 1905 by one of America's largest nurserymen among others, and catalogs do convey a slightly different flower.
All cultivars are robust plants, with most multiplying well. All are tall (to very tall) plants save one that is notably quite short. Most came from one site near Natchez, Mississippi, which was also well stocked with paperwhites and N. italicus. The quantity of white flowers and the breadth of cultivars represented likely reflect an owner's (or, more than one owner/gardener's) predilection for white tazettas.