''Narcissus cyclamineus'', the cyclamen-flowered daffodil, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Amaryllidaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to North West Portugal and North West Spain.

Description

It is a vigorous

bulbous In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs durin ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

, growing to tall, with grass-like leaves, and yellow flowers in early Spring. The 4.5 cm long, pendent flowers are unusual in that the central trumpet (corona) is long and narrow, while the outer section (perianth) is fully reflexed (folded back on itself). This reflexion superficially resembles that of the distantly related

cyclamen ''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They g ...

Cultivation

''Narcissus cyclamineus'' is widely planted in gardens, and can be naturalised in a

woodland garden A woodland garden is a garden or section of a garden that includes large trees and is laid out so as to appear as more or less natural woodland, though it is often actually an artificial creation. Typically it includes plantings of flowering shr ...

or in thin grass, where it will spread by self-seeding. It prefers well-drained, lime-free soil that does not dry out in summer. It is valuable for its bright yellow flowers that appear in early spring with other bulbs such as

snowdrops ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single s ...

and ''

Cyclamen coum ''Cyclamen coum'', the eastern sowbread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It is a tuberous herbaceous perennial, growing to , with rounded heart-shaped leaves and pink shell-shaped flowers with darker coloration at the ...

''. Due to its small size it is very suitable for growing in a shady rockery or trough. It is a parent of the Cyclamineus Group of hybrid daffodil

cultivars A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

, which includes such popular varieties as 'February Gold', 'Jack Snipe' and 'Tête à Tête'. Most of these hybrids are significantly larger than the species and whilst the petals may be reflexed to some extent, none so far has the fully reflexed appearance of the parent. ''Narcissus cyclamineus'' has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1727024 cyclamineus