The Botanical Magazine/Volume 2/51

by William Curtis

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[51]

Narcissus major. Great Daffodil.

Class and Order.

Hexandria Monogynia.

Generic Character.

Petala 6 æqualia: Nectario infundibuliformi, 1-phyllo. Stamina intra nectarium.

Specific Character and Synonyms.

NARCISSUS major foliis subtortuosis, spatha uniflora, nectario campanulato patulo crispo æquante petala.

NARCISSUS major totus luteus calyce prælongo. Bauhin Pin. 52.

NARCISSI sylvestris alia icon. Dodon. Stirp. p. 227.

The great yellow Spanish Bastard Daffodil. Parkins. Parad. t. 101. fig. 1.

N^o51

The present species of Daffodil is the largest of the genus, and bears the most magnificent flowers, but, though it has long been known in this country, it is confined rather to the gardens of the curious.

It is a native of Spain, and flowers with us in April. As its roots produce plenty of offsets, it is readily propagated.

It approaches in its general appearance very near to the Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus, but differs in being a much taller plant, having its leaves more twisted, as well as more glaucous, its flowers (but especially its Nectary) much larger, and its petals more spreading; and these characters are not altered by culture.

It answers to the bicolor of Linnæus in every respect but colour, and we should have adopted that name, had not the flowers with us been always of a fine deep yellow; we have therefore taken Bauhin's name as the most expressive.

It varies with double flowers.