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 C 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 calcicarpetanus. 1b(B) - classic daffodils with large flowers. Yellow flowers, frilled corona. Spain.
Narcissus calcicola. 1d(ii) - gray-green-leaved jonquils. Up to five yellow flowers. Native to Central Portugal and as the name implies it grows in calcareous soil, due to the presence of limestone, but Henning Christiansen has shown the pockets of soil in which it grows have been found to be acid (pH near 5.9). Plant grown from seed and photographed by Arnold Trachtenberg.
Narcissus canaliculatus (syn. N. tazetta ssp. lacticolor). 2a(i)A - colored tazetta-like flowers. Petals white, corona yellow. Origin unknown.
Narcissus canariensis. 2a(i)B - white tazetta-like flowers. Small flowers with pointed petals. Canary Islands.
Narcissus cantabricus. 3 - the hoop petticoats, big conical coronas. White or greenish flowers. This species comes from southern Spain, the Balearic Islands, Algeria, and Morocco, and is extremely variable with several subspecies. The plant identified in the photo as "clusii" (not a valid taxonomic name) was grown from seed obtained from the Scottish Rock Garden Club exchange and is probably identical or very similar to plants grown in the UK under this identifying or "garden" name. It has upfacing pure white flowers on very short stems. The first photo by Jane McGary of this plant and the next two from Mary Sue Ittner of this species which blooms in the fall in Northern California, sometimes as early as October and continues until sometimes January.
Two more identified by names that do not appear to be valid and photographed by John Lonsdale are first, one called 'eualbidus' and the second and third pictures, var. 'laciniatus.'
Narcissus cantabricus ssp. cantabricus. More than one leaf per bulb. From Spain. Photo by John Lonsdale
Narcissus cantabricus ssp. cantabricus var. cantabricus. Two leaves per bulb. Flowers bright white. Spain.
Narcissus cantabricus ssp. cantabricus var. foliosus. Three to eight leaves per bulb, flowers creamy white. Morocco. Photo by John Lonsdale
Narcissus cantabricus ssp. cantabricus var. kesticus (syn. N. peroccidentalis). Two to four leaves, off-white or greenish white flowers. Morocco.
Narcissus cantabricus ssp. cantabricus var. petunioides. One to three leaves, widely flared flower. Algeria.
Narcissus cantabricus ssp. monophyllus. One leaf, pure white flowers. Southern Spain, Morocco, Algeria. Photo by John Lonsdale
Narcissus cantabricus ssp. tananicus. Three to five leaves, off-white corona with light yellow petals. Morocco.
Narcissus cavanillesii (syn. Tapeinanthus humilis, Narcissus humilis). 1e. Single yellow flowers in Autumn. The corona is almost completely absent, and so for a long time this species was assigned to a different genus. Grows in Spain and Morocco, with a larger-flowered form reported in the Atlas mountains. Photo by John Lonsdale of a plant he received as N. humilis ssp. mauretanicus.
Narcissus cerrolazae. 1d(i) - green-leaved jonquils. One to four flowers per umbel. Tube can be curved. Spain.
Narcissus confusus. 1b(B) - classic daffodils with large flowers. Similar to N. hispanicus, but with less flare in the corona. Yellow flowers. Central Spain.
Narcissus corcyrensis. 2a(i)A - colored tazetta-like flowers. Petals pale yellow and sometimes reflexed, corona deeper yellow and lobed on the edge. From Corfu.
Narcissus cordubensis. 1d(i) - green-leaved jonquils. Up to three flowers per umbel, curved tube. Spain. This species is scented and very similar to Narcissus fernandesii and is included in the latter by some. It has yellow flowers with a green tinge at the base and blooms mid spring. All photos by John Lonsdale, the second and third are of the "Lemon" form (not formally recognized by Mathew).
Narcissus cuatrecasasii (syn. N. rupicola ssp. pedunculatus). 1d(ii) - gray-green-leaved jonquils. One or two yellow flowers. Spain.
Narcissus cuatrecasasii var. egimonensis. Smaller flowers. From Spain, grown and photographed by Jane McGary. When this picture was added to the wiki, there was some question about whether the photo was this species or Narcissus rupicola. Harold Koopowitz who thought it looked liked the latter wrote this: "Both species are quite variable with regards, size of plant, leaves, size of flower, height and time of flowering. N. cuatrecasasii has three stamens sticking into the corona and there are three in the tube. In N. rupicola all six stamens are in the tube. In N. rupicola the opening to the tube is restricted, in N. cuatrecasasii it is wider."
Narcissus cupularis. 2a(i)A - colored tazetta-like flowers. Another species very similar to N. aureus.
Narcissus cyclamineus. 1b(A) - classic daffodils with small flowers. Yellow flowers, reflexed petals. North-west Portugal and Spain. It has "a manner that has been variously compared to an angry mule, a frightened rabbit, a kicking horse. And indeed it does have a startled expression. A group of them makes one think of a bevy of gnomes in agitated conclave." --Louise Beebe Wilder. Gardening in New York, she said it grew best in damp sandy peat in partial shade. Photo by John Lonsdale.
Narcissus cypri. 2a(i)A - colored tazetta-like flowers. White petals, pale yellow flared corona. Cyprus.
Narcissus index - Overview of the Narcissus species - Narcissus Species A-B - Narcissus Species D-J - Narcissus Species K-O - Narcissus Species P - Narcissus Species Q-R - 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