NARCISSUS

Description

When winter begins to fade, these nodding golden bonnets transform every landscape, not just in gardens and meadows but in pots and vases too. Festivals are held in their honor worldwide. Even with their short growing season, these trumpets of spring are among the best-selling flowers for the whole year.

There are between 40 and 200 recognized species of Narcissus and more than 25,000 registered hybrid cultivars, officially classified among 13 divisions. They hybridize so readily, both among international growers and in the wild, it’s impossible to know the true count. All Narcissus flowers grow on straight, hollow stems surrounded by long, thin and separate leaves. Species that bear single blossoms have flat leaves, while species that bear clusters of miniature blossoms have tube-shaped leaves.

The buds point upward as they grow, emerging from their sheath-like spathe and tilting to a 90 degree angle just before blooming. All single varieties have three outer “petals,” (sepals), and three true petals, forming a six-pointed star “frame” (perianth) around a funnel- or bowl-shaped center (corona). Double varieties have 12 or more petals and a ruffled look. New hybrids constantly bring fresh color combinations and silhouettes.

Narcissus plants are true bulbs which grow during cold months and hibernate in summer heat. Though the bulbs can be selectively chilled to lengthen their blooming season, and there are also fall-blooming species which respond to moisture rather than temperature, narcissi are still most in their glory—and most in demand—in the spring. Many cultivars have fragrances which range from light to rich. They may be dried using a desiccant such as silica gel. Flowers are also ethylene sensitive.

Colors: Yellow, bright to pastel orange, salmony pink, cream, and white. The blossoms may be one uniform hue, or the coronas rimmed with a darker color, or the petals and coronas may be contrasting colors. In some double hybrids, the petals themselves may be contrasting colors while the corona is a third color.

Special Care

The beauty of Narcissus flowers is matched only by its toxicity! The cut stems exude a slimy, alkaloid sap which can cause “daffodil itch” on the hands and sudden death for other flowers in the bucket, especially Rosa, Freesia, Tulipa, Anemone and Dianthus types. To render Narcissus mixed-bouquet friendly, first recut and hydrate separately between six to eight hours or overnight. The toxic sap will wick into the hydrating solution, which can then be discarded. Once rinsed and placed in clean solution, the neutralized Narcissus will mix agreeably with other flowers, even when recut. 

Narcissus is susceptible to botrytis, but doesn’t crave carbs, so a germicide and an anti-ethylene agent are more important than sugar in the hydrating solution. That said, they don’t mind if sugar is added to the flower food for companion flowers.

Choose straight, sturdy stems between the pencil (straight-up) and goose-neck (buds starting to bend) stages. Single-flowered cultivars should be closed but beginning to show color; double-flowered cultivars should be just nudging out of their spathe “cocoon.” Keep stems upright to prevent geotropic (gravity) “stem topple.” 

Process Narcissus as quickly as possible and store at 32–33°F (0–1°C). Narcissus is notoriously perishable, and though it will store fine in the shop cooler for up to two weeks, the longer it’s stored, the sooner it will fade once home with the consumer. To lengthen the too-brief selling season, try pumping nitrogen instead of air into a near-freezing cooler and placing pencil-stage narcissi in it, dry and upright. They will keep this way for several weeks without affecting final bloom quality or vase life.

Potted plants should be marketed in the pencil stage and displayed in a cool (41ºF / 5ºC), bright area, protected from ethylene-producing plants. Keep soil barely moist. Once home, keeping them no warmer than 65ºF (18ºC) will maximize their bloom time.
 

Fun Facts:

• Narcissus is one the bestselling florist flowers worldwide.

• Is it a Narcissus flower or a daffodil? Yes! Narcissus is the official Latin-derived botanical name for the entire plant family (genus) of all their mind-boggling variants, including daffodils, jonquils and narcissi (paperwhite and otherwise). "Daffodil" is simply the same family’s common name, and the two names are interchangeable. However, when most people say "daffodil," they usually mean the classic large, bright golden trumpets. "Jonquils" are the narcissus species with clusters of smaller, round-petaled, fragrant yellow blooms, though in some regions it is mistakenly applied to the whole genus too. When in doubt, Narcissus is the name to use.

• In the Greek myth, Narkissos was a teenage heartbreaker with an inflated ego, who got a massive crush on his own reflection in a pond. He became so obsessed that he wasted away until the gods transformed what was left of him into a long-stemmed flower on the bank, forever nodding at its own image in the water. This myth also gave us the word “narcissist” as a descriptor for the pathologically self-centered.

• The ancient Roman naturalist Pliny believed that the plant got its name not from the fabled pretty boy but from the Greek word "narke" (meaning numb) and is the root word for both Narcissus and narcotic. Perhaps the antihero of the myth took on the flower’s name because of his mind-numbing self-absorption, or, as Pliny believed, the name refers to the plant’s crippling toxins.

• Narciss plants are just as poisonous to people as they are to other flowers! Every part of the plant is toxic, but the alkaloids and glycosides are concentrated in the bulbs. Grazing animals and pets generally get the hint from the plant’s bitter taste, but unfortunately for humans the bulbs can be mistaken for onions and, surprisingly often, are. Unintentional daffodil cuisine can cause severe gastric flu-like symptoms. Eating a large enough quantity can even be fatal, but most accidental ingesters recover at home in a few days.

• “The dose makes the poison,” according to the Renaissance scientist Paracelsus. One of the Narcissus plants' natural alkaloids, galantamine, is now used as a medication for Alzheimer’s disease.

• Growers purposely stunt the growth of potted Narcissus by exposing the emerging shoots to ethylene. This produces shorter, sturdier stems without harming the flowers.

• Using the flower with the bulb attached extends bloom life and can add design interest.

• In China, Narcissus bulb and flower sculpture is an art form akin to Japanese bonsai.

• The flower was the subject of poetry and song throughout Mediterranean and Asian cultures long before the Greek myth was known. It was an ancient favorite in Muslim cultures, praised by the poet Rumi and the prophet Mohammed, and considered a talisman of good fortune in China.

• Narcissus flowers' rich yet leafy aroma has been prized for millennia in fragrant oils, salves and perfumes, from Europe to the Middle East, India and China. Narcissus essential oils, produced mainly in France and the Netherlands today, are still key ingredients in modern perfumery. The vapors are so intense they can cause headaches and nausea in a closed room.

• Narcissus bulbs are a major export crop for the United Kingdom. In fact, Narcissus is the national flower of Wales.

• Tourism and cut flowers are the main industries of the Cornish Islands of Scilly, and its residents pay Prince Charles one daffodil per year as tribute for the use of the lands.

• Narcissus is the birth month flower for March, and paperwhite Narcissus flowers are a birth month flower for December.

• Narcissus is the 10th wedding anniversary flower.

• In the Victorian “Language of Flowers,” Narcissus symbolizes rebirth, inspiration and forgiveness.

• A member of the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family, Narcissus plants related to onions, spider lilies, snowdrops, and of course Amaryllis.