Daffodils, jonquils, and narcissus are often mentioned interchangeably, with daffodil as the most commonly used non-scientific name. The English word “daffodil” is likely derived from asphodel, linked with wild daffodils in their native habitats of western Europe. When someone purposefully uses “narcissus” instead of “daffodil,” this nomenclature usually denotes the Mediterranean paperwhite narcissus, a popular holiday flower forced into bloom indoors in winter months. But according to the American Daffodil Society, Narcissus is the Latin botanical name for the genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. The genus has ten to sixteen divisions depending on which botanist you ask. There’s also a wide range of opinions as to the number of species, which depend on hybridization. All narcissi have flowers with six petal-like tepals and a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. Flowers are generally white and yellow but hybrids also feature orange and pink varieties.

Whatever the term used, no flower has received more poetic description than narcissi except the rose and the lily, often in poems by authors such as Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Shelley, and Keats. Narcissus comes from the Greek word for “numbness” or narke, also the root of the word “narcotic.” Narcissus was well known in ancient civilization, both medicinally and botanically, formally described by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum. Narcissus poeticus is certainly the first daffodil of legend. Narcissus poeticus is associated with poor, vain Narcissus, who was turned into an attractive flower, “white of petal and red of cup because of his habit of staring at his reflection in the water. The story was passed down by the poets.” Young Narcissus was handsome… and he knew it. The young man spurned the advances of the nymph Echo, who pined for him in the forests and valleys until only her voice was left. As punishment, the Goddess Nemesis led Narcissus to a pool of water where he encountered his own reflection. So enamored with his own beauty, he stared at his reflection for days. Eventually, he fell in and drowned, leaving flowers growing where he once sat. N. poeticus thrives in damp soil and naturalizes beautifully in tall grasses.

Another daffodil that flourishes along roadsides and in meadows is Narcissus pseudonarcissus. Also named the Lent lily, this flower is best known as the wild daffodil. It features a small yellow trumpet surrounded by a soft pale yellow ring of petals. Blooming in early to mid-spring, one flower per sturdy stem, this flower rises amidst strap-like gray-green leaves. Also perfect for naturalizing, N. pseudonarcissus brings bright swathes of color to woods and grasslands. Wild daffodils are native to meadows and woods in southern Europe and North Africa. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalized widely and were introduced into the Far East prior to the tenth century.

Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the earliest times but became increasingly popular in Europe after the 16th century. The Royal Horticultural Society is an important promoter of narcissi, holding its first Daffodil Conference in 1884. The Daffodil Society, dedicated to cultivation of narcissi, was founded in the British Isles in 1898. By the late 19th century narcissi had become important commercially, primarily in the Netherlands. The American Daffodil Society, founded in 1954, publishes The Daffodil Journal quarterly, a leading trade publication. A century of breeding has resulted in thousands of varieties. Cultivars are available from general and specialist suppliers. Often sold as dry bulbs to be planted in late summer and autumn, daffodils are now an economically important ornamental plant. Breeders have developed daffodils with double, triple, and multiple rows and layers of segments. Many breeders concentrate on the corona (trumpet or cup), in terms of length, shape, and color. Today narcissi are popular as cut flowers and as ornamental plants in many private and public gardens. Narcissi tend to be long-lived bulbs, which propagate by division, but they are also insect-pollinated.

Several cultivars are recommended for our area:

‘Ice Follies’ is a large-flowered, early cultivar. These daffodils should be divided every three to four years to maintain vigorous blooms.