Narcissus asturianus subsp. jacetanus. Fotografías de José Ricardo

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

Narcissus were popular in old civilisation, both and botanically medicinally, but formally explained by Linnaeus in his Varieties Plantarum (1753). The genus is generally thought to have about ten parts with about 50 species. The number of kinds has assorted, depending on how they are categorised, anticipated to similarity between types and hybridization. The genus arose a while in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The exact origins of the real name Narcissus is undiscovered, but it is associated with a Greek phrase for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the youngsters of this name who fell deeply in love with his own reflection. The English term 'daffodil' is apparently produced from "asphodel", with which it was commonly compared.

The varieties are local to meadows and woods in southern European countries and North Africa with a center of variety in the Traditional western Mediterranean, the Iberian peninsula particularly. Both cultivated and wild plants have naturalised widely, and were introduced in to the Far East prior to the tenth century. 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, nematodes and mites. Some Narcissus species have become extinct, while some are threatened by increasing tourism and urbanisation.

Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the earliest times, but became increasingly popular in Europe following the 16th hundred years and by the overdue 19th hundred years were an important commercial crop centred generally on holland. Today narcissi are popular as slice bouquets and since ornamental crops in private and general public gardens. The long history of breeding has resulted in thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are categorised into divisions, covering a variety of colours and shapes. 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 use in traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in art work and literature, narcissi are associated with a true number of themes in various cultures, ranging from loss of life to good fortune, and as symbols of springtime. The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and the sign of tumor charities in many countries. The looks of the wild flowers in springtime is associated with festivals in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying back after flowering to a underground storage light. They regrow in the next time from brown-skinned ovoid light bulbs with pronounced necks, and reach heights of 5-80 cm with respect to the species. Dwarf varieties such as N. asturiensis have a maximum level of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta might increase as large as 80 cm.

The crops are scapose, having an individual central leafless hollow bloom stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, narrow, strap-shaped leaves come up from the light. The flower stem bears a solitary flower, but once in a while a cluster of blooms (umbel). The plants, which are usually conspicuous and white or yellow, both or almost never green sometimes, consist of a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral pipe above the ovary, then an outside ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disk to conical shaped corona. The blossoms may suspend down (pendent), or be erect. You will discover six pollen bearing stamens bordering a central style. The ovary is substandard (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The super fruit contains a dried up capsule that splits (dehisces) releasing numerous black seed products.

The bulb lies dormant after the leaves and blossom stem die back and has contractile roots that pull it down further into the soil. The rose stem and leaves form in the bulb, to emerge the next season. Most varieties are dormant from summer time to overdue winter, flowering in the planting season, though a few species are autumn flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Sierra Sálvada: Narcissus minor subsp. minor, su taxonomía

En esta fotografía se observa la abundancia de estas flores en Kobata

Todos los Narcisos de Aragón. Fotografías de José Ricardo Gracia

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