like to have six.” ― Laurell K. Hamilton, Narcissus in Chains

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

Narcissus were well known in ancient civilisation, both and botanically medicinally, but formally explained by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally thought to have about ten portions with about 50 species. The true number of kinds has varied, depending about how they are labeled, scheduled 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 name Narcissus is mysterious, but it is often associated with a Greek term for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the youth of this 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 varieties are native to meadows and woods in southern European countries and North Africa with a center of variety in the Western Mediterranean, the Iberian peninsula particularly. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalised widely, and were unveiled into the Far East to the tenth century prior. Narcissi tend to be long-lived bulbs, which propagate by division, but are insect-pollinated also. 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 urbanisation and tourism.

Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the initial times, but became increasingly popular in Europe following the 16th hundred years and by the later 19th century were an important commercial crop centred mainly on holland. Today narcissi are popular as slash blossoms so when ornamental plant life in private and public gardens. The long history of breeding has led to a large number of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are categorised into divisions, covering a wide range 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 ingested inadvertently. This property has been exploited for medicinal use within traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treating Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in art work and books, narcissi are associated with a true number of themes in different cultures, ranging from fatality to good fortune, and as symbols of spring. The daffodil is the nationwide bloom of Wales and the sign of malignancy charities in many countries. The looks of the outrageous flowers in springtime is associated with celebrations in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying again after flowering to a underground storage light. They regrow in the next yr from brown-skinned ovoid lights with pronounced necks, and reach heights of 5-80 cm with regards to the species. Dwarf kinds such as N. asturiensis have a maximum height of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta may grow as high as 80 cm.

The plants are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow bloom stem (scape). Several blue-green or green, thin, strap-shaped leaves occur from the light bulb. The flower stem bears a solitary flower, but once in a while a cluster of plants (umbel). The plants, which are usually conspicuous and white or yellow, sometimes both or rarely renewable, consist of a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral pipe above the ovary, then an outer ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disc to conical formed corona. The plants may suspend down (pendent), or be erect. There are six pollen bearing stamens encircling a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) comprising three chambers (trilocular). The berry contains a dried out capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seed products.

The bulb lays dormant after the leaves and flower stem die back and has contractile roots that pull it down further into the soil. The rose stem and leaves form in the light bulb, to emerge the following season. Most kinds are dormant from summer to later winter, flowering in the spring, though a few species are autumn flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

hamilton narcissus in chains by laurell k hamilton anita blake series

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Beautiful flower pot in garden Chaingmai province, Thailand.