Narcissus pseudonarcissus flower 300303.jpg

Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of mainly spring perennial plant life in the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family. Various common names 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 the cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The blooms are generally white or yellow (orange or pink in garden varieties), with either standard or contrasting colored tepals and corona.

Narcissus were popular in old civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally explained by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is generally considered to have about ten portions with about 50 species. The true number of varieties has mixed, depending how they are labeled, due to similarity between hybridization and varieties. The genus arose some right amount of time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent regions of southwest Europe. The exact origins of the real name Narcissus is unidentified, but it is linked to a Greek phrase for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the young ones of that name who fell deeply in love with his own representation. The English expression 'daffodil' is apparently produced from "asphodel", with which it was likened commonly.

The species are indigenous to meadows and woods in southern European countries and North Africa with a middle of variety in the European Mediterranean, particularly the Iberian peninsula. 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, disorders and diseases include viruses, fungi, the larvae of flies, mites and nematodes. Some Narcissus species have become 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 after the 16th hundred years and by the late 19th century were an important commercial crop centred mostly on holland. Today narcissi are popular as slash plants so that ornamental crops in private and open public gardens. The long history of breeding has led to a large number of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are categorized into divisions, covering a variety of shapes and colours. Like other members of the family, narcissi produce a 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 books and art, narcissi are associated with a true number of themes in various cultures, ranging from fatality to fortune, and as symbols of springtime. The daffodil is the national bloom of Wales and the icon of cancers charities in many countries. The looks of the untamed 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 bulb. They regrow in the following calendar year from brown-skinned ovoid light bulbs with pronounced necks, and reach heights of 5-80 cm depending on species. Dwarf species such as N. asturiensis have a maximum level of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta may increase as high as 80 cm.

The plants are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow bloom stem (scape). Several blue-green or green, narrow, strap-shaped leaves happen from the light. The flower stem usually bears a solitary flower, but occasionally a cluster of flowers (umbel). The blossoms, which can be usually conspicuous and white or yellowish, both or seldom inexperienced 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 disc to conical shaped corona. The blooms may hang up 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 fruit involves a dried out capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seeds.

The bulb lies dormant following the leaves and rose stem die back and has contractile root base that pull it down further into the soil. The flower leaves and stem form in the light bulb, to emerge the following season. Most types are dormant from warmer summer months to overdue winter, flowering in the spring, though a few varieties are fall flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Narcissus dubius Wikipedia

Påsklilja N. pseudonarcissus

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