Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse — Reviews, Discussion

Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of mostly spring perennial plants 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 known members of the genus. Narcissus has conspicuous flowers with six petal-like tepals surmounted with a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The bouquets are generally white or yellowish (orange or red in garden kinds), with either even or contrasting coloured corona and tepals.

Narcissus were well known in old civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally referred to by Linnaeus in his Kinds Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally considered to have about ten sections with about 50 species. The amount of kinds has varied, depending on how they are classified, due to similarity between kinds and hybridization. The genus arose 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 anonymous, but it is associated with a Greek word for intoxicated (narcotic) and the misconception of the children of this name who fell in love with his own representation. The English word 'daffodil' appears to be derived from "asphodel", with which it was commonly compared.

The varieties are indigenous to meadows and woods in southern Europe and North Africa with a centre of variety in the Western Mediterranean, particularly the Iberian peninsula. Both cultivated and wild plants have naturalised widely, and were released into the Far East to the tenth century prior. 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, mites and nematodes. Some Narcissus species have become extinct, while others 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 century and by the overdue 19th century were an important commercial crop centred mainly on holland. Today narcissi are popular as slice blooms so when ornamental plant life in private and public gardens. The long history of breeding has resulted in thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are categorised into divisions, covering a wide range of shapes and colours. Like other members of 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 treating Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in books and fine art, narcissi are associated with a true number of themes in various cultures, ranging from fatality to fortune, and as icons of spring and coil. The daffodil is the nationwide flower of Wales and the sign of tumors charities in many countries. The appearance of the crazy 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 with an underground storage light bulb. They regrow in the next calendar year from brown-skinned ovoid light bulbs with pronounced necks, and reach heights of 5-80 cm depending on species. Dwarf types such as N. asturiensis have a maximum height of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta might expand as extra tall as 80 cm.

The plant life are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow blossom stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, small, strap-shaped leaves occur from the light bulb. The plant stem bears a solitary rose, but once in a while a cluster of flowers (umbel). The flowers, that happen to be usually conspicuous and white or yellow, both or almost never inexperienced sometimes, 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 blooms may hang up down (pendent), or be erect. A couple of six pollen bearing stamens encircling a central style. The ovary is poor (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The super fruit consists of a dry capsule that splits (dehisces) releasing numerous black seeds.

The bulb sits dormant after the leaves and blossom stem die back again and has contractile root base that draw it down further into the soil. The bloom leaves and stem form in the light, to emerge the following season. Most varieties are dormant from summertime to overdue winter, flowering in the springtime, though a few kinds are autumn flowering.

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HESSE, HERMANN : Narcissus and Goldmund / Bantam, 1988

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