The Narcissus, Story by Cari Oleskewicz, Artwork by Ira Haber

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 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 bouquets are generally white or yellowish (orange or red in garden kinds), with either even or contrasting colored corona and tepals.

Narcissus were popular in early civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally defined by Linnaeus in his Kinds Plantarum (1753). The genus is generally thought to have about ten parts with roughly 50 species. The number of kinds has varied, depending about how they are grouped, as a consequence to similarity between hybridization and varieties. 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 origin of the name Narcissus is mysterious, but it is linked to a Greek term for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the junior of this name who fell in love with his own reflection. The English term 'daffodil' appears to be produced from "asphodel", with which it was commonly likened.

The kinds are local to meadows and woods in southern European countries and North Africa with a centre of diversity in the Western Mediterranean, particularly the Iberian peninsula. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalised widely, and were created into the ASIA to the tenth century prior. Narcissi tend to be long-lived bulbs, which propagate by division, but are insect-pollinated also. 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 initial times, but became increasingly popular in Europe following the 16th hundred years and by the late 19th hundred years were an important commercial crop centred mostly on the Netherlands. Narcissi are popular as trim blooms and as ornamental plant life in private and general population gardens today. The long history of breeding has led to thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are classified into divisions, covering a wide range of shapes and colours. Like other members of these family, narcissi produce a true number of different alkaloids, which provide some protection for the plant, but may be poisonous if ingested unintentionally. This property has been exploited for medicinal use in traditional healing and has led to the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in literature and art, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in several cultures, ranging from fatality to fortune, and as symbols of planting season. The daffodil is the nationwide 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 to the underground storage light bulb. They regrow in the following 12 months from brown-skinned ovoid bulbs with pronounced necks, and reach levels of 5-80 cm depending on the species. Dwarf species such as N. asturiensis have a maximum height of 5-8 cm, while Narcissus tazetta might develop as high as 80 cm.

The plants are scapose, having an individual central leafless hollow rose stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, slim, strap-shaped leaves occur from the light. The herb stem bears a solitary rose, but sometimes a cluster of plants (umbel). The plants, which can be usually conspicuous and white or yellowish, both or seldom green sometimes, contain a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral pipe above the ovary, then an external ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disk to conical molded corona. The bouquets may hang up down (pendent), or be erect. You will find six pollen bearing stamens encircling a central style. The ovary is second-rate (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The berries contains a dried out capsule that splits (dehisces) liberating numerous black seeds.

The bulb lies dormant following the leaves and flower stem die again and has contractile origins that pull it down further into the soil. The blossom leaves and stem form in the bulb, to emerge the next season. Most kinds are dormant from summer to overdue winter, flowering in the planting season, though a few varieties are fall months flowering.

Narcissus Pictures

Echo and Narcissusquot; Free Books amp; Children39;s Stories Online

METAMORPHOSES Book III Narcissus and Echo

Buy Narcissus 39;Minnow39; De Warande Strongbulbs.com

The Nigger of the Narcissus by Joseph Conrad by Joseph Conrad