Baroque façade of the University by Narciso and Diego Tome 1715

By Gafarshod Jumat, 18 November 2016

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Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of mostly spring perennial crops in the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family. Various common brands 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 a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The plants are usually white or yellowish (orange or pink in garden varieties), with either even or contrasting coloured corona and tepals.

Narcissus were well known in historical civilisation, both and botanically medicinally, but formally identified by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is generally thought to have about ten areas with around 50 species. The true range of varieties has mixed, depending about how they are categorized, thanks to similarity between hybridization and varieties. 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 origins of the name Narcissus is mysterious, but it is often associated with a Greek word for intoxicated (narcotic) and the misconception of the junior of that name who fell deeply in love with his own representation. The English phrase 'daffodil' appears to be derived from "asphodel", with which it was compared commonly.

The species 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 cultivated and wild 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 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 some are threatened by increasing tourism and urbanisation.

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 late 19th century were an important commercial crop centred generally on holland. Today narcissi are popular as chop plants so that as ornamental crops in private and general population gardens. The long history of breeding has led to thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are categorized into divisions, covering a variety of colours and shapes. Like other members of their family, narcissi produce a 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 in traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treating Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in artwork and literature, narcissi are associated with a true number of themes in several cultures, ranging from death to fortune, and as icons of springtime. The daffodil is the national blossom of Wales and the image of cancers charities in many countries. The looks of the outdoors flowers in planting season is associated with celebrations in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying back after flowering to a underground storage light bulb. They regrow in the next 12 months from brown-skinned ovoid light bulbs with pronounced necks, and reach levels of 5-80 cm depending on the species. Dwarf varieties such as N. asturiensis have a maximum height of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta might grow as tall as 80 cm.

The plant life are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow blossom stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, slim, strap-shaped leaves occur from the light bulb. The seed stem usually bears a solitary flower, but once in a while a cluster of flowers (umbel). The bouquets, which are conspicuous and white or yellowish usually, both or almost never green sometimes, consist of a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral tube above the ovary, then an outer ring made up of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disk to conical formed corona. The flowers may suspend down (pendent), or be erect. There are six pollen bearing stamens surrounding a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) comprising three chambers (trilocular). The berry includes a dry capsule that splits (dehisces) releasing numerous black seeds.

The bulb lies dormant following the leaves and flower stem die back and has contractile roots that pull it down further in to the soil. The blossom leaves and stem form in the light bulb, to emerge the next season. Most types are dormant from summer time to overdue winter, flowering in the springtime, though a few types are autumn flowering.

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