Poussin : Death of Narcissus , 1630

Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of mainly spring perennial crops in the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family. Various common titles 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 plants are usually white or yellow (orange or pink in garden kinds), with either even or contrasting coloured tepals and corona.

Narcissus were well known in old civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally identified by Linnaeus in his Varieties Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally considered to have about ten parts with approximately 50 species. The number of varieties has assorted, depending how they are categorised, scheduled to similarity between kinds and hybridization. The genus arose some right time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The exact source of the real name Narcissus is mysterious, but it is associated with a Greek phrase for intoxicated (narcotic) and the misconception of the junior of this name who fell in love with his own reflection. The English expression 'daffodil' is apparently produced from "asphodel", with which it was compared commonly.

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

Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the initial times, but became ever more popular in Europe after the 16th hundred years and by the late 19th century were an important commercial crop centred mostly on the Netherlands. Narcissi are popular as chop bouquets and as ornamental vegetation in private and general population gardens today. The long history of breeding has led to thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are categorised into divisions, covering a variety of shapes and colours. Like other members of their family, narcissi produce 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 resulted in the production of galantamine for the treating Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in art and books, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in various cultures, ranging from fatality to fortune, and as icons of springtime. The daffodil is the nationwide bloom of Wales and the icon of cancer tumor charities in many countries. The looks of the outrageous flowers in spring is associated with celebrations in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying back after flowering to an underground storage light bulb. They regrow in the next time from brown-skinned ovoid lights 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 high as 80 cm.

The crops are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow blossom stem (scape). Several blue-green or green, thin, strap-shaped leaves occur from the light. The herb stem bears a solitary blossom, but sometimes a cluster of bouquets (umbel). The flowers, that happen to be conspicuous and white or yellow usually, sometimes both or almost never green, contain a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral tube above the ovary, then an exterior ring made up of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disc to conical formed corona. The blossoms may hang down (pendent), or be erect. You will discover six pollen bearing stamens surrounding a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) comprising three chambers (trilocular). The super fruit contains a dried capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seed products.

The bulb is situated dormant following the leaves and bloom stem die again and has contractile origins that move it down further in to the soil. The blossom stem and leaves form in the bulb, to emerge the next season. Most types are dormant from warmer summer months to late winter, flowering in the springtime, though a few types are fall months flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Narcissus and Echo Benjamin West WikiArt.org encyclopedia of

Entrusted to the Nymphs of Nysa; The Death of Echo and Narcissus

Narcissus+Constanzi+wikimedia+Costanzi_narcissus_and_echo.jpg

Black Narcissus Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1947 Bluray