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Narcissus tazetta

Common name:	Bunchflower Daffodil	Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	89, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe to E. Asia.
Habitat:	Fields, meadows and garigue, especially in damp places, in the Mediterranean[89].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	N. canaliculatus[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chin Chan Yin T'Ai [E], Cream Narcissus [B,P], Dohn En Nirdjis [E], Oil Of Narcissus [E], Shui Hsien [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	tazetta = small cup
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Europe India Jerusalem

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 0.5m by 0.1m . It is hardy to zone 8 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from January to February. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Antiphlogistic Cancer Demulcent Emetic Poultice.

Demulcent[174, 178]. Used in the treatment of boils and mastitis[174].
The root is emetic[240]. It is used to relieve headaches[240]. The chopped root is applied externally as an antiphlogistic and analgesic poultice to abscesses, boils and other skin complaints[218].
The plant has a folklore of effectiveness against certain forms of cancer. This might be due to benzaldehyde changing to laetrile-like compounds or to lycorine changing to lycobetaine-like compounds in the body[218].

Other Uses

Essential.

An essential oil obtained from the flowers is used in perfumery[171].

Cultivation details

Prefers a deep rather stiff soil but succeeds in most soils and situations[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers an alkaline soil with a pH between 7 and 8[200]. Best grown in a warm sunny corner with shelter from cold winds[245].
The dormant bulbs will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -5° c[214].
A polymorphic species[200].
Cultivated for its essential oil[171]. The flowers are very powerfully scented[245].
The sub-species N. tazetta chinensis. Roemer. is used in Japanese medicine[174].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. A short stratification will improve the germination of stored seed. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left undisturbed in the pot for their first two years of growth. Give them an occasional liquid feed in the growing season to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants become dormant in the summer, pot up the small bulbs placing 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer.
Division of bulbs after the leaves die down in early summer[1]. Larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions, or can be stored in a cool place and then be planted out in the autumn. It is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year before planting them out when dormant in the autumn.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are very powerfully scented[245].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Amaryllidaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[174] Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
A good Japanese herbal.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[214] Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994 ISBN 1352-4186
A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Himalayacalamus hookerianus, hardy Euphorbias and an excellent article on Hippophae spp.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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