Narcissus tazetta  L.   Liliaceae (Lily Family)   Canary Islands to Japan   Polyanthus Narcissus

                                        February Photo

Plant Characteristics: Perennial from a bulb; lvs. long and flat, to 18 in., 3/8-3/4 in. broad, somewhat glaucous, obtuse, about the length of flattened scape; fls. few to several, usually 4-8, horizontal or declined; segms. white and crown light yellow, fragrant, rather small, 1-1.5 in. across; pedicels projecting from the large spathe and sometimes very long; tube slender, .75-1 in. long; crown cup-shaped and very short, much less than the obovate overlapping spreading or reflexed segms.

Habitat:  Escape from cultivation.  Will grow in all of California’s climatic zones.  They are hardy in cold and heat.  (Sunset Editors, New Western Garden Book, 1984. 380).

Name:  Greek, narkissos, the plant narcissus, named for its narcotic properties.  (Jaeger 163).  Tazetta, an old s. European name, probably from Italian tarza, a cup.  (Bailey 259).

General:  Uncommon in the study area, having been found only twice; on the lower Santa Ana Heights bluffs, in an area westerly of Jamboree Rd., that has now been developed into condominiums and on the Castaway's bluffs near where the old restaurant was.  (my comments).      In Greek mythology, a youth named Narcissus caught a glimpse of his own reflection in a spring and was transfixed by what he considered to be his own incredible beauty.  Pining away for a love that could never be, Narcissus stared at his image in the water... until he changed into a flower.  Today a narcissist is someone with an excessive interest or admiration in themselves.  (Grossman, Edith K.  "Beware of Narcissists"  Bottom Line Vol. 9 No. 1.  Jan. 15, 1988.  P. 9)          Alkaloids are present in all species of narcissus and distributed throughout their plant system.  The bulbs contain the greatest amount of alkaloids.  Eating only a few bites of a bulb can make a child very ill, while one whole bulb holds enough poison to kill an adult.  (James 51).  Amaryllidaceae, where this species has been treated historically is now within Liliaceae in the 1993 Jepson Manual. (Hickman, Ed. 1170).         Probably 25 or 30 original species, in Central Europe and Mediterranean region to China and Japan, mostly European.  (Bailey 258).   

Text Ref:  Bailey 259;  Sunset Editors, New Western Garden Book, 1984. 380.

Photo Ref:  Feb 1 85 # 5A,6A.

Identity: by R. De Ruff

First Found: February 1985.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 127.

Plant specimen donated to UC Riverside in 2004.

Last edit 8/6/05.

                                            February Photo