110 SWISS FLOWERS. 



89. Narcissus. 



{PLATE L.) 



The Narcissus poeticus, that which we commonly call 

 the Narcissus, can scarcely be said to be known with us 

 otherwise than in gardens, but it may be seen adorning the 

 Swiss meadows as freely as Cowslips do those of our own 

 country. The earliness of its bloom, however, prevents 

 many visitors from enjoying this sight. We were once on 

 Pilatus as soon as the snow allowed horses to pass, and could 

 only obtain some of the lingering blossoms. The flower is 

 recognized by its six long white petal-like sepals, which 

 come, usually singly, from a brown crinkled kind of sheath 

 on a two-edged stalk, and surround a crown occupying the 

 middle of the flower, yellow — with a crenated edge of bright 

 scarlet. The six stamens, three alternately shorter than the 

 others, are within the crown. N. biflorus (Fig. 89) differs 

 from the above by having generally two flowers instead of 

 one in the sheath ; its crown is yellow, without any scarlet 

 border, and the flower is a pale yellow rather than white. 

 The stem has two angles ; the leaves are about a foot long, 

 half an inch wide, of a bluish green, and keeled. Moist 

 and shady meadows : Geneva, near Sierne ; Seduni, Valais. 



