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

Narcissus were popular in historic civilisation, both and botanically medicinally, but formally detailed by Linnaeus in his Types Plantarum (1753). The genus is generally considered to have about ten sections with about 50 species. The true amount of varieties has mixed, depending on how they are grouped, as a consequence to similarity between hybridization and species. 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 undiscovered, but it is linked to 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 phrase 'daffodil' appears to be derived from "asphodel", with which it was commonly compared.

The varieties are native to meadows and woods in southern Europe and North Africa with a centre of variety in the European Mediterranean, the Iberian peninsula particularly. Both cultivated and wild plants have naturalised widely, and were introduced into the Far East before 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, nematodes and mites. Some Narcissus species have grown to be extinct, while others are threatened by increasing tourism and urbanisation.

Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the initial times, but became ever more popular in Europe following the 16th hundred years and by the overdue 19th hundred years were an important commercial crop centred primarily on holland. Narcissi are popular as slice plants so when ornamental vegetation in private and public gardens today. The long history of breeding has led to a large number of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are grouped into divisions, covering an array of colours and shapes. Like other members of these 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 used in traditional healing and has led to the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in skill and books, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in various cultures, ranging from death to fortune, and as icons of springtime. The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and the icon of cancers 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 back again after flowering to a underground storage light bulb. They regrow in the following 12 months from brown-skinned ovoid light bulbs with pronounced necks, and reach levels of 5-80 cm depending on species. Dwarf species such as N. asturiensis have a maximum elevation of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta may increase as large as 80 cm.

The plant life are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow bloom stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, small, strap-shaped leaves arise from the light bulb. The flower stem usually bears a solitary flower, but sometimes a cluster of flowers (umbel). The blossoms, that are conspicuous and white or yellowish usually, sometimes both or hardly ever inexperienced, 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 molded corona. The plants may hang up down (pendent), or be erect. There are six pollen bearing stamens adjoining a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The berries consists of a dry capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seeds.

The bulb sits dormant following the leaves and bloom stem die again and has contractile roots that move it down further into the soil. The blossom leaves and stem form in the bulb, to emerge the next season. Most kinds are dormant from summer season to overdue winter, flowering in the planting season, though a few varieties are fall months flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Narcissus

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My Chicago Botanic Garden Tag Archive narcissus

, in the form of divine justice, gets meted out by Nemesis. Nemesis