The Narcissus. 165 



The Narcissus. 



This beautiful genus of flowers is a great favorite in the 

 United States. As the species are almost entirely cultivated for 

 the show, we meet with it generally in the double form, where it 

 is, as usual with flowers in such cases, completely transformed. 

 We find the stamens changed in their growth and turned to 

 petals, and the pistillium metamorphosed into the infertile rudi- 

 ments of one or more additional flowers. They are in the class 

 Hexandria, order Monogynia. The generic characters are : — 

 corol bell-form, spreading, six-parted, equal and superior; the 

 nectary one-leaved and bell-form, enclosing the stamens. Phil- 

 lips remarks, that this beautiful family of flowering bulbs, so 

 celebrated by the ancient poets, have many names, and fol- 

 lowing him, we shall commence with the species distinguished 

 by the name of Daffodil — Pseudo Narcissus, which was one 

 of the flowers the daughter of Ceres was gathering when she 

 was seized by Pluto. It was evidently considered by the earlier 

 English writers as a kind of lily, and we are of opinion that the 

 name is a corruption of Dis's lily, as it is supposed to be the 

 flower dropped from the chariot of that god in his flight with 

 Proserpine. Gerard calls them Daffadowndillies ; and they are 

 known as chalice flowers, from the shape of their nectary, and 

 Lent lilies, from the time of their flowering. That which bears 

 the earliest, is the N. Minor — Spanish Daffodil, which is noted 

 for its resistance of- cold, and its rapid propagation by roots, 

 though the flowers are of diminutive size, yet they make a pleas- 

 ing variety with the snowdrop and other early flowering plants, 

 and give a gaiety to the walks of the shrubbery, when planted 

 in large clusters. The common Daffodil is a native of England, 

 where it blossoms in March, but with us, more commonly in 

 May, and is useful for the embellishment of wet pasture, the 

 banks of orchards, the borders of woods and cottage gardens. 

 They should be planted with a liberal hand, amongst the ever- 

 greens that are seen from the principal walks and windows of 

 the house, avoiding as much as possible the appearance of the 

 gardening art, by clumps set at distances. They should be scat- 

 tered, as it were, by nature's hand, sometimes half obscured by 



