Drowning of Echo39; The story of Narcissus / @obviousjim @

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

Narcissus were popular in historic civilisation, both and botanically medicinally, but formally detailed by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally thought to have about ten parts with roughly 50 species. The amount of varieties has mixed, depending how they are categorized, scheduled to similarity between types and hybridization. The genus arose some right amount of time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The exact origins of the true name Narcissus is unfamiliar, but it is associated with a Greek term for intoxicated (narcotic) and the misconception of the youth of that name who fell deeply in love with his own representation. The English word 'daffodil' is apparently produced from "asphodel", with which it was commonly likened.

The kinds are local to meadows and woods in southern Europe and North Africa with a centre of variety in the American Mediterranean, the Iberian peninsula particularly. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalised widely, and were introduced in to 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, disorders and diseases include viruses, fungi, the larvae of flies, nematodes and mites. Some Narcissus species have grown to be extinct, while others are threatened by increasing urbanisation and tourism.

Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the earliest times, but became increasingly popular in Europe following the 16th century and by the past due 19th hundred years were an important commercial crop centred primarily on the Netherlands. Today narcissi are popular as lower bouquets and as ornamental plants in private and general public gardens. The long history of breeding has resulted in thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are classified into divisions, covering a variety of shapes and colours. Like other members of the family, narcissi create a true 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 led to the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in fine art and literature, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in different cultures, ranging from loss of life to fortune, and as icons of springtime. The daffodil is the nationwide rose of Wales and the sign of cancer charities in many countries. The appearance of the crazy flowers in spring and coil is associated with celebrations in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying back again after flowering for an underground storage bulb. They regrow in the next year from brown-skinned ovoid lights with pronounced necks, and reach levels of 5-80 cm with regards to the species. Dwarf types such as N. asturiensis have a maximum level of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta might increase as large as 80 cm.

The plant life are scapose, having an individual central leafless hollow flower stem (scape). Several blue-green or green, small, strap-shaped leaves occur from the light bulb. The place stem usually bears a solitary bloom, but occasionally a cluster of blossoms (umbel). The blooms, that are usually conspicuous and white or yellow, sometimes both or seldom green, contain a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral pipe above the ovary, then an outer ring made up of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disc to conical molded corona. The blossoms 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) comprising three chambers (trilocular). The fruits consists of a dried out capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seeds.

The bulb is dormant after the leaves and rose stem die back again and has contractile origins that take it down further in to the soil. The rose leaves and stem form in the bulb, to emerge the following season. Most types are dormant from warmer summer months to past due winter, flowering in the planting season, though a few species are autumn flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Huma Choudhary is a photojournalist working for The Express Tribune

Dr. Tsai39;s blog: Narcissus daffodils in our garden and in literature

purple podded peas: 100 Flowers : 016 Daffodil

Recent Photos The Commons Getty Collection Galleries World Map App