The genus Narcissus of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, comprises about 26 species of spring or fall flowering herbs popularly called daffodils, narcissus, or jonquils. Native to Europe and North Africa, they all grow from a bulb that produces several long, narrow leaves and a single flower stalk. The flowers are usually white or yellow, with a narrow, tubular base (hypanthium), three petals and three pellike sepals (perianth), and a central cuplike appendage (corona, cup, or crown) that may be of contrasting color. Typically a Daffodil has four to six flattened, grass like leaves, and its flower stalk bears a single flower with a long, trupetlike corona. A narcissus is similar, but its flattened flower stalk bears four to eight flowers with short coronas. A jonquil has two to four marrows, cylindrical, rush like leaves, and its flower stalk bears two to six relatively small flowers with short coronas.
The narcissus is a plant popular for its cheerful looking, fragrant flowers. Soleil d’Or (top) and Geranium (bottom) are two varieties.
