Pacific Bulb Society Narcissus Division Seven

Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of mostly spring perennial plant life in the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family. Various common brands including daffodil,[notes 1] daffadowndilly,[3] narcissus, and jonquil are used to describe all or some known members of the genus. Narcissus has conspicuous flowers with six petal-like tepals surmounted by the cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The blooms are usually white or yellow (orange or pink in garden kinds), with either standard or contrasting colored corona and tepals.

Narcissus were popular in early civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally detailed by Linnaeus in his Kinds Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally considered to have about ten sections with approximately 50 species. The amount of varieties has mixed, depending how they are categorised, credited to similarity between kinds and hybridization. The genus arose some right amount of time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The precise origins of the real name Narcissus is anonymous, but it is often linked to a Greek expression for intoxicated (narcotic) and the misconception of the junior of this name who fell deeply in love with his own reflection. The English expression 'daffodil' appears to be produced from "asphodel", with which it was commonly likened.

The species are native to meadows and woods in southern European countries and North Africa with a centre of variety in the European Mediterranean, the Iberian peninsula particularly. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalised widely, and were introduced in to the Far East prior to the tenth century. Narcissi tend to be long-lived bulbs, which propagate by division, but are also insect-pollinated. Known pests, diseases and disorders include viruses, fungi, the larvae of flies, nematodes and mites. Some Narcissus species have become extinct, while some are threatened by increasing tourism and urbanisation.

Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the initial times, but became increasingly popular in Europe after the 16th century and by the late 19th hundred years were an important commercial crop centred primarily on holland. Today narcissi are popular as trim bouquets so when ornamental crops in private and open public gardens. The long history of breeding has led to thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are grouped into divisions, covering a variety of colours and shapes. Like other members with their family, narcissi create a true number of different alkaloids, which provide some protection for the plant, but may be poisonous if accidentally ingested. This property has been exploited for medicinal utilization in traditional healing and has led to the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in art work and literature, narcissi are associated with a true number of themes in several cultures, ranging from loss of life to good fortune, and as symbols of spring. The daffodil is the countrywide blossom of Wales and the symbol of tumor charities in many countries. The appearance of the wild flowers in spring and coil is associated with festivals in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying back again after flowering to the underground storage light. They regrow in the next season from brown-skinned ovoid light bulbs with pronounced necks, and reach levels of 5-80 cm with respect to the species. Dwarf types such as N. asturiensis have a maximum elevation of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta might grow as large as 80 cm.

The plant life are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow rose stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, slim, strap-shaped leaves come up from the bulb. The place stem bears a solitary bloom, but occasionally a cluster of flowers (umbel). The blooms, which can be conspicuous and white or yellowish usually, sometimes both or seldom inexperienced, contain a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral pipe above the ovary, then an external ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disc to conical designed corona. The blooms may suspend down (pendent), or be erect. You will find six pollen bearing stamens encompassing a central style. The ovary is poor (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The berries contains a dry out capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seed products.

The bulb is placed dormant following the leaves and bloom stem die back again and has contractile origins that move it down further into the soil. The rose leaves and stem form in the bulb, to emerge the following season. Most varieties are dormant from summer season to late winter, flowering in the spring and coil, though a few types are fall months flowering.

Narcissus Pictures