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Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of mostly 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 plants are usually white or yellowish (orange or pink in garden types), with either even or contrasting colored tepals and corona.

Narcissus were well known in traditional civilisation, both and botanically medicinally, but formally described by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally considered to have about ten parts with roughly 50 species. The true number of kinds has assorted, depending how they are categorized, thanks to similarity between hybridization and species. The genus arose some time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent regions of southwest Europe. The precise origin of the true name Narcissus is unknown, but it is associated with a Greek expression for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the junior of that name who fell in love with his own reflection. The English word 'daffodil' appears to be produced from "asphodel", with which it was compared commonly.

The varieties are indigenous to meadows and woods in southern Europe and North Africa with a middle of variety in the Traditional western Mediterranean, particularly the Iberian peninsula. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalised widely, and were introduced into the Far East prior to the tenth century. 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 grown to be extinct, while others 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 century and by the later 19th century were an important commercial crop centred primarily on holland. Today narcissi are popular as lower blossoms as ornamental plants in private and general public gardens. The long history of breeding has led to a large number of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are labeled into divisions, covering a wide range of shapes and colours. Like other members with their family, narcissi create 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 in traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treating Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in literature and art work, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in various cultures, ranging from death to good fortune, and as icons of springtime. The daffodil is the national rose of Wales and the mark of cancer charities in many countries. The appearance of the wild flowers in spring is associated with celebrations in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying again after flowering to an underground storage light. They regrow in the following time from brown-skinned ovoid lights with pronounced necks, and reach levels of 5-80 cm with respect to the species. Dwarf species such as N. asturiensis have a maximum height of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta may develop as extra tall as 80 cm.

The plants are scapose, having an individual central leafless hollow flower stem (scape). Several blue-green or green, slim, strap-shaped leaves happen from the light bulb. The herb stem usually bears a solitary rose, but occasionally a cluster of plants (umbel). The blossoms, that are conspicuous and white or yellowish usually, sometimes both or rarely renewable, contain a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral tube above the ovary, then an outside ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disc to conical shaped corona. The plants may suspend down (pendent), or be erect. You will find six pollen bearing stamens encircling a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The berries consists of a dried up capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seed products.

The bulb lies dormant following the leaves and blossom stem die back and has contractile root base that take it down further in to the soil. The flower leaves and stem form in the light, to emerge the next season. Most kinds are dormant from summer to overdue winter, flowering in the spring and coil, though a few species are fall months flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Morning mist on the Narcissus River amp; Lake St Clair.

field of narcissus flowers above Lake Geneva near Montreux

White Narcissus under a Sophora tree by the lake at Myddelton House

Narcissus River on Overland Track in Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair