ECHO amp; NARCISSUS PAGE THREE

Narcissus /n?:r's?s?s/ is a genus of predominantly spring perennial crops 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 a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The blossoms are generally white or yellowish (orange or pink in garden types), with either uniform or contrasting coloured tepals and corona.

Narcissus were popular in ancient civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally defined by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally considered to have about ten areas with around 50 species. The true volume of kinds has mixed, depending on how they are labeled, anticipated to similarity between kinds and hybridization. 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 origin of the name Narcissus is unknown, but it is often associated with a Greek word for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the youth of this name who fell deeply in love with his own representation. The English phrase 'daffodil' is apparently derived from "asphodel", with which it was commonly compared.

The types are native to meadows and woods in southern European countries and North Africa with a centre of variety in the Western Mediterranean, the Iberian peninsula particularly. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalised widely, and were introduced in to the Far East prior to 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, nematodes and mites. 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 century and by the later 19th hundred years were an important commercial crop centred mostly on holland. Today narcissi are popular as slice plants as ornamental plant life 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 grouped 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 accidentally ingested. This property has been exploited for medicinal utilization in traditional healing and has led to the production of galantamine for the treating Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in art work and literature, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in different cultures, ranging from death to good fortune, and as icons of spring. The daffodil is the countrywide bloom of Wales and the sign of malignancy charities in many countries. The appearance of the wild flowers in spring and coil is associated with festivals in many places.

Narcissus is a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes, dying again after flowering for an underground storage light. They regrow in the following time from brown-skinned ovoid lights with pronounced necks, and reach levels of 5-80 cm with respect to the species. Dwarf species such as N. asturiensis have a maximum elevation of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta may develop as tall as 80 cm.

The plant life are scapose, having an individual central leafless hollow blossom stem (scape). Several blue-green or green, narrow, strap-shaped leaves occur from the light. The flower stem usually bears a solitary flower, but once in a while a cluster of flowers (umbel). The flowers, that are conspicuous and white or yellow usually, sometimes both or almost never green, contain 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 disk to conical shaped corona. The blossoms may hang down (pendent), or be erect. A couple of six pollen bearing stamens bordering a central style. The ovary is substandard (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The super fruit includes a dry out capsule that splits (dehisces) launching numerous black seeds.

The bulb is dormant following the leaves and rose stem die back again and has contractile origins that draw it down further into the soil. The blossom leaves and stem form in the light, to emerge the following season. Most kinds are dormant from summer months to overdue winter, flowering in the spring, though a few species are fall months flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Claude Landscape with Narcissus and Echo NG19 National Gallery

Narcissus And Echo Latin Project YouTube

Echo and Narcissus by zaradei on DeviantArt

File:Echo and Narcissus, A Book of Myths.jpg Wikimedia Commons