Narcissus tazetta
| Narcissus tazetta | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 0.3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Winter-Late Winter |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Narcissus tazetta (common name: bunchflower daffodil)
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.
Cultivation: 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[2]. Best grown in a warm sunny corner with shelter from cold winds[3].
The dormant bulbs will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -5°c[4].
A polymorphic species[2].
Cultivated for its essential oil[5]. The flowers are very powerfully scented[3].
The sub-species N. tazetta chinensis. Roemer. is used in Japanese medicine[6].
Range: Europe to E. Asia.
Habitat: Fields, meadows and garigue, especially in damp places, in the Mediterranean[7].
Medicinal: Demulcent[6][8]. Used in the treatment of boils and mastitis[6].
The root is emetic[9]. It is used to relieve headaches[9]. The chopped root is applied externally as an antiphlogistic and analgesic poultice to abscesses, boils and other skin complaints[10].
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[10].
Usage: An essential oil obtained from the flowers is used in perfumery[5].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Matthews, Victoria. The New Plantsman Volume 1. Royal Horticultural Society, 1994.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press, 1987.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.