in botany: A genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the hexandria class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 9th order, Spatibaceae. There are six petals; the nectarium is funnel-shaped, and monophyllous; the stamens are within the nectarium. The most remarkable species are,
1. The bastard narcissus, or common yellow English daffodil, grows wild in great plenty in many of our woods and coppices, and under hedges in several parts of England. In the counties round London the herbfolks bring prodigious quantities in the spring of the year, when in bloom, root and all, and sell them about the streets. Its commonness renders it of but little esteem with many; considered, however, as an early and elegant flower, of exceeding hardiness and easy culture, it merits a place in every garden.
2. The bicolor, or two-colored incomparable narcissus, hath a large, oblong, bulbous root; crowned with long, narrow, dark-green leaves, 12 or 14 inches long; an upright flower-stalk, about 15 inches high, terminated by an uniflorous spathe, protruding one large flower with white petals, and a bell-shaped, spreading, golden nectarium, waved on the margin, and equal in length with the corolla; flowering in April. The varieties are, common single-flowered—semi-double-flowered, with the interior petals some white and some yellow—with sulphur-coloured flowers.
3. The poeticus, poetic daffodil, or common white narcissus, is well known. Of this there are varieties with purple-cupped flowers—yellow-cupped flowers—double-flowered: all of them with entire white petals. It is the ancient celebrated narcissus of the Greek and Roman poets, which they so greatly extol for its extreme beauty and fragrance.
4. The bulbocodium, hath a small bulbous root, crowned with several narrow, tubulate, rush-like leaves, six or eight inches long; amidst them a slender, taper flower-stalk, six inches high, terminated by an uniflorous spathe, protruding one yellow flower, having the nectarium much larger than the petals, and very broad and spreading at the brim; flowering in April. From the large spreading nectarium of this species, which being three or four times longer than the petals, narrow at bottom, and widening gradually to the brim, so as to resemble the shape of some old-fashioned hoop-petticoats, it obtained the name hoop-petticoat narcissus.
5. The feroximus, or late-flowering small autumnal narcissus, hath a small bulbous root; crowned with a few narrow leaves; amidst them a jointed flower-stalk, eight or nine inches high, terminated by an uniflorous spathe, protruding one white flower, having a short, fix-parted, yellow nectarium; flowering in autumn.
6. The tazetta, or multiflorous daffodil, commonly called polyanthus narcissus, hath a very large, roundish, bulbous root; long, narrow, plane leaves; an upright flower-stalk, rising from 10 or 12 inches to a foot and a half high; terminated by a multiflorous spathe, protruding many large, spreading, white and yellow flowers, in a cluter, having bell-shaped nectariums shorter than the corolla; flowering in February, March, and April, and is very fragrant. The varieties of this are very numerous, consisting of about eight or nine principal sorts, each of which having many intermediate varieties; amounting in the whole greatly above a hundred in the Dutch florists catalogues, each variety distinguished by a name according to the fancy of the first raiser of it. They are all very pretty flowers, and make a charming appearance in the flower-borders, &c. they are also finely adapted for blowing in glases of water, or in pots, to ornament rooms in winter.
7. The jonquilla, or jonquil, sometimes called rush-leaved daffodil, hath an oblong, bulbous, brown root; sending up several long, semi-taper, rush-like, bright-green leaves; amidst them an upright green flower-stalk, a foot or 15 inches high; terminated by a multiflorous spathe, protruding many yellow flowers, often expanded like a radius, each having a hemispherical, crenated nectarium, shorter than the petals; flowering in April, and mostly of a fine fragrance. The varieties are, jonquil minor with single flowers—jonquil major with single flowers—starry flowered—yellow and white flowered—white-flowered—semi-double-flowered—double-flowered—and large double inodorous jonquil: all of them multiflorous, the single in particular; but sometimes the doubles produce only two or three flowers from a spathe, and the singles commonly fix or eight. All the sorts have so fine a shape, so soft a colour, and so sweet a scent, that they are some of the most agreeable spring-flowers.
8. The calathinus, or multiflorous yellow narcissus, hath a large bulbous root; crowned with long, narrow, plane leaves; and amidst them an erect, robust flower-stalk, terminated by a multiflorous spathe, protruding many large, entire, yellow flowers, having a bell-shaped, slightly crenated nectarium, equal in length with the petals.
9. The odorans, odoriferous, or sweet-scented starry yellow narcissus, hath a bulbous root; narrow leaves; erect flower-stalk, a foot or more high, terminated by a sub-multiflorous spathe, protruding sometimes but NARCISSUS
one, and sometimes several entirely yellow flowers, having a campanulated, six-parted, smooth nectarium, half the length of the petals.
10. The triandrus, or triandrous rush-leaved white narcissus, hath a bulbous root; very narrow, rush-like leaves; erect flower-stalk, terminated by an uniflorous spathe, protruding one snow-white flower, having a bell-shaped, crenated nectarium, half the length of the petals, and with mostly triandrous or three stamens.
11. The trilobus, or trilobate yellow narcissus, hath a bulbous root; narrow rush-like leaves; erect flower-stalks, terminated by a sub-multiflorous spathe, protruding sometimes but one or two, and sometimes several, yellow flowers, having a bell-shaped, three-lobed nectarium, half the length of the petals.
12. The minor, or yellow winter daffodil, hath a small bulbous root; plane leaves, eight or ten inches long, and more than half a one broad; an erect flower-stalk, terminated by an uniflorous spathe, protruding one nodding yellow flower, with spear-shaped petals, having an obconic, six-parted, waved nectarium, equal to the length of the corolla; flowering in winter, or very early in spring.
All these 12 species of narcissus are of the bulbous-rooted tribe, and universally perennial in root, but annual in leaf and flower-stalk; all of them rising annually in spring, immediately from the crown of the bulb, first the leaves, and in the midst of them the flower-stalk, one only from each root, entirely naked or leafy, each terminated by a spathe or sheath, which opens on one side to protrude the flowers, and then withers; the flowers, as before observed, are all hexapetalous, each furnished with a nectarium in the centre, and are universally hermaphrodite: they are large and conspicuous, appearing mostly in the spring-season, generally from March or April until June, succeeded by ripe seed in July; then the leaves and flower-stalks decay, and the roots desist from growing for some time; at which period of rest is the only proper time to take up or transplant the roots from one place to another, or to separate the offsets; for they all multiply abundantly by offset young bulbs from the main root, inasmuch that a single bulb will in one or two years be increased into a large cluster of several bulbs, closely placed together, and which every second or third year should be taken up at the above period in order to be separated; and each offset so separated commences a distinct plant; which being planted again in autumn, produces flowers the following summer, alike in every respect to those of their respective parent bulbs. All the species are so hardy that they prosper in any common soil of a garden; observing, however, to allow the finer sorts of *polyanthus narcissus*, in particular, principally a warm dry situation; all the others may be planted anywhere in the open dry borders and flower-beds.