Narcissus, a genus of plants of the natural order Amaryllidæ, having a perianth of six equal petal-like segments, and a bell-shaped corona of various magnitude. The species are natives of the south of Europe, the north of Africa, and the temperate parts of Asia. The Common Daffodil is the only one which can be regarded as truly a native of Britain.
Many are cultivated in gardens for the sake of their beautiful and often fragrant flowers, which in general appear early in the season. Some of them are known by the names of Daffodil (q.v.) and Jonquil (q.v.). The name narcissus is popularly restricted to those which have flat (not rush-like) leaves, and a short (not bell-shaped) corona. Of these one of the best known is the Poet's Narcissus (N. Poeticus), with generally one-flowered scape, the flower white and fragrant, the corona with a deeply-coloured border; others with one or two flowers on the scape are in common cultivation. The Polyanthus Narcissus (N. Tazetta) has a number of flowers on the scape. It grows wild in stony places near the Mediterranean and eastwards to China. Many varieties of it are in cultivation. It is grown not only in gardens and greenhouses, but in water-glasses, like the hyacinth. It is very common in gardens in India, where it is highly esteemed as a flower. The narcissi in general are propagated either by seed or by offset bulbs. They succeed best in a rich light soil.