Narcissus pseudonarcissus /nɑː(r)ˈsɪsəs/
Common name: Wild daffodil · Lent lily · Trumpet daffodil
Narcissus pseudonarcissus is a perennial bulbous plant in the amaryllis family, native to meadows and woodlands of western Europe, from Britain and Spain east to Germany. It produces solitary pale-yellow flowers with a darker yellow central trumpet in early spring, above clumps of grey-green strap-like leaves. It is the wild species from which most large trumpet daffodil cultivars descend, and it is widely planted in gardens and naturalized in grass.
Care summary
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Water
Moderate in growth; keep dryish when dormant
Soil
Fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral
Hardiness
Zones 4–8
Mature height
About 20–35 cm (0.7–1.1 ft)
Pet safe
No — toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
Difficulty
Easy
Propagation
Propagate by dividing bulb offsets. After the foliage has died back in summer, lift the clump, pull away the small offset bulbs from the parent, and replant them immediately at about twice their own depth; offsets take a few years to reach flowering size.
Fun facts
- It is the likely model for the daffodils in Wordsworth's famous poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud".
- Most large trumpet daffodil cultivars grown today were bred from this species.
- All parts of the plant contain the alkaloid lycorine, making it poisonous if ingested.
- It is sometimes called the Lent lily because it often flowers around the period of Lent.