Narcissus is a genus in the Amaryllidaceae family native to Europe, North Africa and Asia. As a popular garden plant it has been hybridized heavily, and there are new ones being introduced every year. Among all of the attention focused on the hybrids, species Narcissus tend to be overlooked. That's a shame, since many of the species have a delicate charm of their own.
Unfortunately, the naming of species Narcissus is a mess. Bulb expert Brian Mathew reports that they can be difficult to classify, with various authors identifying anywhere from 26 species to more than 60. Because Narcissus have been in cultivation for so long, some plants believed to be species are known only in gardens, with no known wild populations to verify them. All of this confusion is reflected in commerce, where bulbs may be sold under a variety of different names. We've done our best to classify the following photos, but this page is definitely a work in progress. Please let us know if you find an error. The species Q-R will be found below.
Note: The letter and number codes after each species name refer to Brian Mathew's taxonomy of Narcissus species, which you can read here.
Narcissus radiiflorus. 1a - "Pheasant's eye" flowers. Similar to Narcissus poeticus, but more starry in shape, with the petals not overlapping.
Narcissus radiiflorus var. exertus: Flat corona, yellow with a red edge. Switzerland and southern France.
Narcissus radiiflorus var. poetarum: Red corona, origin unknown.
Narcissus radiiflorus var. radiiflorus: Shallow corona less than 1 cm across. Switzerland, Austria, and the Balkans.
Narcissus radiiflorus var. stellaris: Slightly larger corona than N. radiiflorus. Central, eastern Europe.
Narcissus radinganorum. 1b(B) - classic daffodils with large flowers. Similar to N. hispanicus. Southeast Spain.
Narcissus romieuxii. 3 - the hoop petticoats, big conical coronas. Pale yellow to greenish white. Very similar to Narcissus bulbocodium but is distinguished by a short pedicel and protruding stamens. This is an early flowering species (winter) and is a native of Morocco. Photos by Arnold Trachtenberg and John Lonsdale.
The first photo below shows a flat-corona form photographed by John Lonsdale. The second photo shows a selection named 'Julia Jane,' flowering in mid winter. Grown and photographed by Rob Hamilton. The last photo by Arnold Trachtenberg shows unusual adventitious aerial bulbil formation by 'Julia Jane'.
Narcissus romieuxii ssp. albidus (syn. N. albidus). White to greenish flowers.
Narcissus romieuxii ssp. albidus var. albidus. Petals longer than corona. Morocco. Photo by John Lonsdale
Narcissus romieuxii ssp. albidus var. zaianicus. Morocco. Described as having upward-facing pale lemon flowers with shorter tepals than the subspecies. This is a very satisfactory plant, blooming well each year between late December and March, sometimes for months. First photo by Mary Sue Ittner, second and third by John Lonsdale.
Narcissus romieuxii ssp. romieuxii. Pale sulphur yellow. Photo by John Lonsdale.
Narcissus romieuxii ssp. romieuxii var. rifanus. Smaller flowers. Morocco. Flowering in January in northwestern Oregon, in a bulb frame. Purchased as seed (under the name N. riffanus) from Monocot Nursery, collector's number SL333. Native to Morocco. These plants do not have the green tips on the petals mentioned by John Blanchard in "Narcissus: A Guide to Wild Daffodils" but otherwise conform to his description. Photos by Jane McGary and John Lonsdale.
Narcissus romieuxii ssp. romieuxii var. romieuxii (syn. N. romieuxii var. mesatlanticus). Large flowers. Morocco. Photo by John Lonsdale.
Several other variations on this plant are sold under names not recognized by Mathew:
"Narcissus albidus ssp. foliosus" Photo by John Lonsdale
"Narcissus albidus ssp. occidentalis" Photographed by Jane McGary. These plants came from Monocot Nursery (England) under this name. The second photo is from John Lonsdale.
"Narcissus albidus ssp. tananicus" Photos by John Lonsdale.
Narcissus rupicola ssp. rupicola. 1d(ii) - gray-green-leaved jonquils. Single yellow flowers with a wide corona. Spain and Portugal.
Narcissus rupicola ssp. marvieri has yellow flowers with a longer and broader corona than other subspecies. It is from North Africa (Morocco) and grows on well drained rock ledges and crevices. It is fragrant. Ian Young reported on his blog from the Scottish Rock Garden Society that it needs plenty of water as its leaves are growing, but dislikes being kept too wet for any length of time. Photos from Mary Sue Ittner of a first bloom from seed.
Narcissus rupicola ssp. watieri (syn. N. watieri). White flowers. Morocco. It is the only pure white member of its section and has a greenish throat. It flowers a little before typical N. rupicola. Hybridizers of miniature daffodils seek it, but it is well worth growing for its own sake, since it has exquisite form and increases moderately well. Shown flowering in a bulb frame in Oregon in March. Photo by Jane McGary.
Narcissus index - Overview of the Narcissus species - Narcissus Species A-B - Narcissus Species C - Narcissus Species D-J - Narcissus Species K-O - Narcissus Species P - Narcissus Species S-Z - Narcissus hybrids - Division 1 - Division 2 - Division 3 - Division 4 - Division 5 - Division 6 - Division 7 - Division 8 - Division 9 - Division 10 - Division 11 - Division 12 - Miniatures