Narcissus asturianus subsp. jacetanus. Fotografías de José Ricardo

Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of predominantly spring perennial plant life in the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family. Various common names 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 a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The plants are usually white or yellow (orange or pink in garden varieties), with either uniform or contrasting coloured corona and tepals.

Narcissus were well known in ancient civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally detailed by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally thought to have about ten parts with around 50 species. The true quantity of species has assorted, depending about how they are grouped, anticipated 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 regions of southwest Europe. The exact source of the true name Narcissus is unknown, but it is associated with a Greek phrase for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the youth of that name who fell 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 indigenous to meadows and woods in southern Europe and North Africa with a center of diversity in the Western Mediterranean, particularly the Iberian peninsula. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalised widely, and were released into the Far East to the tenth century prior. Narcissi have a tendency 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, mites and nematodes. Some Narcissus species have become extinct, while others are threatened by increasing tourism and urbanisation.

Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the earliest times, but became increasingly popular in Europe after the 16th hundred years and by the later 19th century were an important commercial crop centred mostly on the Netherlands. Narcissi are popular as chop bouquets so when ornamental plant life in private and public gardens today. The long history of breeding has led to thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are categorized into divisions, covering a wide range of colours and shapes. Like other members of these family, narcissi produce a number of different alkaloids, which provide some protection for the plant, but may be poisonous if ingested accidentally. This property has been exploited for medicinal use within traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in literature and skill, narcissi are associated with a true number of themes in several cultures, ranging from loss of life to good fortune, and as symbols of springtime. The daffodil is the nationwide blossom of Wales and the image of cancer tumor charities in many countries. The appearance of the crazy flowers in planting season is associated with festivals in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying again after flowering to the underground storage bulb. They regrow in the next 12 months from brown-skinned ovoid lights with pronounced necks, and reach heights of 5-80 cm with regards to the species. Dwarf varieties such as N. asturiensis have a maximum elevation of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta may increase as large as 80 cm.

The plants are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow bloom stem (scape). Several blue-green or green, narrow, strap-shaped leaves happen from the bulb. The place stem usually bears a solitary rose, but once in a while a cluster of blooms (umbel). The plants, that happen to be conspicuous and white or yellow usually, sometimes both or seldom green, contain a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral pipe above the ovary, then an exterior ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disk to conical molded corona. The flowers may hang down (pendent), or be erect. You can find six pollen bearing stamens encircling a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) comprising three chambers (trilocular). The berry includes a dried out capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seed products.

The bulb is dormant after the leaves and bloom stem die back again and has contractile roots that pull it down further in to the soil. The rose stem and leaves form in the bulb, to emerge the next season. Most types are dormant from summer to late winter, flowering in the spring, though a few kinds are fall months flowering.

Narcissus Pictures