Narcissus tazetta (paperwhite, bunch-flowered narcissus, bunch-flowered daffodil, Chinese sacred lily, cream narcissus, joss flower, polyanthus narcissus) is a perennial ornamental plant that grows from a bulb. Cultivars of N. tazetta include 'Caniculatus', 'Grand Soleil d'Or' and 'Ziva', which are popularly used for forcing indoors, as is the form of N. tazetta known as Chinese Sacred Lily.
Description
Narcissus tazetta is amongst the tallest of the narcissi, and can grow to a height of up to , with thin, flat leaves up to long and wide. Umbels have as many as 8 flowers, white with a yellow corona.Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 290 Narcissus tazettaHaworth, Adrian Hardy. 1819. Supplementum Plantarum Succulentarum 142, Hermione tazetta Rafinesque, Constantine Samuel. 1848. Flora Telluriana 4: 21 Jonquilla tazetta Rouy, Georges C. Chr. 1912. Flore de France 13: 40 Narcissus linnaeanus Sessé y Lacasta, Martín & Mociño, José Mariano. 1894. Flora Mexicana ed. 2: 85 Pancratium tazetta
Taxonomy
Subspecies Six subspecies are accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families:Search for "Narcissus tazetta",
N. tazetta subsp. aureus (Jord. & Fourr.) BakerBaker, John Gilbert. 1888. Handbook of the Amarylldaceae p 9 syn. N. bertolonii – south-east France, Sardinia, north-west Italy, Algeria, Morocco N. tazetta subsp. canariensis (Burb.) BakerBaker, John Gilbert. 1888. Handbook of the Amarylldaceae p 8 – Canary Islands N. tazetta subsp. chinensis (M.Roem.) Masam. & Yanagih.Flora of China v 24 p 269, Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis, common name 水仙 shui xian Masamune, Genkei & Yanagihara, Masayuki. 1941. Transactions of the Natural History Society of Formosa 31: 329. – south-east China, Japan, South Korea N. tazetta subsp. corcyrensis (Herb.) BakerBaker, John Gilbert. 1888. Handbook of the Amarylldaceae p 7 – Corfu (Greece) N. tazetta subsp. italicus (Ker Gawl.) Baker syn. N. italicus – Mediterranean from southern France to Greece N. tazetta subsp. tazetta – widely distributed from the western Mediterranean to Afghanistan
Ecology Narcissus tazetta contains a fragrant compound found in only a few other plants, including roses and Acnistus arborescens, called orcinol dimethyl ether or 3,5-dimethoxytoluene, which is almost undetectable to the human nose. Experiments with honeybees have shown they can readily detect the substance.
Distribution Narcissus tazetta is a widespread species, native to the Mediterranean region from Portugal to Turkey. It is also naturalized across the Middle East, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan, as well as the Canary Islands, China (Fujian, Zhejiang), Japan, Australia, Korea, Norfolk Island, New Zealand, Bermuda, Mexico and the United States (Oregon, California, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia)Kew Checklist of Selected Plant Families and South America.Chile Flora
Uses Narcissus tazetta is grown commercially for its essential oil, mostly in southern France. An interspecies hybrid, with Narcissus poeticus, is also grown for its essential oil.
References
Bibliography
Books translated into English as
Articles
Databases The Plant List
External links Narcissus tazetta in Israel, Flickr