Narcissus Related Paintings

Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of predominantly spring perennial vegetation 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 by a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The blossoms are generally white or yellow (orange or red in garden types), with either standard or contrasting colored tepals and corona.

Narcissus were well known in traditional civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally detailed by Linnaeus in his Kinds Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally considered to have about ten portions with roughly 50 species. The number of varieties has mixed, depending on how they are labeled, due to similarity between hybridization and species. The genus arose time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The precise origin of the name Narcissus is undiscovered, but it is often associated with a Greek expression for intoxicated (narcotic) and the misconception of the youngsters of that 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 kinds are native to meadows and woods in southern European countries and North Africa with a centre of diversity in the European Mediterranean, the Iberian peninsula particularly. Both cultivated and wild plants have naturalised widely, and were released into the Far East to the tenth hundred years prior. Narcissi tend to be long-lived bulbs, which propagate by division, but are insect-pollinated also. 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 century and by the later 19th century were an important commercial crop centred primarily on holland. Today narcissi are popular as cut blooms as ornamental vegetation 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 classified into divisions, covering a wide range of shapes and colours. Like other members of the 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 within traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in literature and art work, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in several cultures, ranging from fatality to fortune, and as icons of spring and coil. The daffodil is the nationwide bloom of Wales and the image of malignancy charities in many countries. The appearance of the untamed flowers in springtime is associated with celebrations in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying back again after flowering to the underground storage bulb. They regrow in the following calendar year from brown-skinned ovoid 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 may increase as tall as 80 cm.

The vegetation are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow rose stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, narrow, strap-shaped leaves arise from the bulb. The seed stem bears a solitary bloom, but occasionally a cluster of flowers (umbel). The blossoms, that happen to be usually conspicuous and white or yellowish, sometimes both or rarely inexperienced, consist of a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral pipe above the ovary, then an outside ring made up of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disc to conical formed corona. The bouquets may hang down (pendent), or be erect. You will discover six pollen bearing stamens encompassing a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) comprising three chambers (trilocular). The berry consists of a dry capsule that splits (dehisces) launching numerous black seeds.

The bulb sits dormant following the leaves and flower stem die back and has contractile roots that pull it down further in to the soil. The flower stem and leaves form in the light bulb, to emerge the next season. Most types are dormant from summer months to later winter, flowering in the spring, though a few species are fall months flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Echo and Narcissus, Edmund Kanoldt

mola c 1633 41 more art gallery mola narcissus echo narcissus pier

Myths and Misadventures: Echo and Narcissus

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 Mrs. Dunaway39;s Blog