NARCISSI'S. 97 



centre is very short, and fringed on the border 

 with a bright purple circle; sometimes this flower 

 is found with a crimson edge to the nectary, and 

 we occasionally meet with them with two flowers 

 issuing from one spathe. Lobel notices its culti- 

 vation in this country as long back as 1570, and 

 Gerard has described and pictured four different 

 kinds of these Purple-ringed Narcissuses, that or- 

 namented British gardens in the time of Queen 

 Elizabeth. The varieties of this species of Nar- 

 cissus, flower from about the middle of April to 

 the end of May. They have an agreeable per- 

 fume, and the Double White Narcissus, which 

 is a variety of the poet's flower, is generally 

 esteemed either in the garden or when planted in 

 pots for the house, and but few flowers are better 

 calculated to fill the vase of the saloon or ornament 

 the epergne for the dinner-table. 



The Polyanthos Narcissus is so called on account 

 of producing many flowers on one stalk. The ge- 

 neric name of this species Taxetta^ is from the Ita- 

 lian, and signifies little cup, as the nectary or cha- 

 lice of this flower is small in comparison to many 

 kinds of Narcissus. 



This Narcissus is a native of Portugal, Spain, 

 the South of France, Italy, and the Islands of the 

 Archipelago, and the neighbourhood of Constanti- 

 nople, as also of Japan. The Chinese call this 



vol. i. F 



