Grade 6 Reading Lesson 16 Myths And Legends Echo And Narcissus 2

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

Narcissus were popular in historic civilisation, both and botanically medicinally, but formally explained by Linnaeus in his Varieties Plantarum (1753). The genus is normally considered to have about ten parts with roughly 50 species. The true range of types has varied, depending on how they are categorized, anticipated to similarity between types and hybridization. The genus arose some time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent regions of southwest Europe. The precise source of the name Narcissus is unidentified, but it is associated with a Greek expression for intoxicated (narcotic) and the misconception of the junior of that 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 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 presented in to the Far East to the tenth century 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, 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 initial times, but became ever more popular in Europe following the 16th century and by the overdue 19th century were an important commercial crop centred generally on holland. Today narcissi are popular as trim blooms as ornamental plant life in private and public gardens. The long history of breeding has led to a large number of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are categorised into divisions, covering a wide range of colours and shapes. Like other members of these 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 use within traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treating Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in artwork and books, narcissi are associated with a true number of themes in several cultures, ranging from fatality to good fortune, and as symbols of spring. The daffodil is the countrywide rose of Wales and the image of tumor charities in many countries. The looks of the outrageous flowers in springtime is associated with celebrations in many places.

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

The plants are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow flower stem (scape). Several blue-green or green, slim, strap-shaped leaves happen from the light bulb. The herb stem bears a solitary flower, but occasionally a cluster of flowers (umbel). The flowers, which are conspicuous and white or yellow usually, sometimes both or rarely green, contain a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral tube above the ovary, then an exterior ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disk to conical molded corona. The blossoms may hang up down (pendent), or be erect. A couple of six pollen bearing stamens encompassing a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The super fruit includes a dry out capsule that splits (dehisces) launching numerous black seed products.

The bulb is situated dormant following the leaves and blossom stem die back again and has contractile origins that pull it down further in to the soil. The blossom leaves and stem form in the light bulb, to emerge the next season. Most species are dormant from summer to late winter, flowering in the spring, though a few varieties are fall flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

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September 1983 Table of Contents Poetry Foundation

the story of Echo and Narcissus. Overview and detailed summary of Echo

Ovid’s Metamorphoses