2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Narcissus / Narcissus / is a genus of the Kokichev family, consisting of 60 species originating from the temperate regions of Central and Western Europe, Western Asia, North Africa. Many species of the genus have long been valued and grown as ornamental plants.
One of the most famous spring species is the yellow narcissus / Narcisus pseudonarcisus /, which is a perennial bulbous herb. The bulb is large, ovoid, up to 4 cm in diameter, covered with dark brown, membranous, old leaves. The stem reaches 40 cm in height and is slightly flattened. The leaves are 4-6, basal, almost identical in height to the stem, linear, obtuse, slightly grooved, with a pronounced midrib on the underside.
The upper vaginal membranous leaf is up to 5 cm long. The color is bent, single. Perianth petals are 2-4 cm long, broadly lanceolate to elongated - ovate, light yellow, spreading. The crown is egg yellow, quite large, deeply bell-shaped, almost equal to the perianth petals, wavy cut at the edge. The column is 4-5 mm longer than the stamens. The fruit is a box. Yellow daffodil blooms from March to May. It is distributed in the western part of the Mediterranean, England, Belgium and others.
In our country the yellow one narcissus is widely cultivated in gardens in many varieties, differing from each other mainly in the size of flowers, shape and color, flowering time and more. It is grown throughout the country as an early flowering ornamental herb, too often in its kitschy cultural form, which is also found in the wild.
History of the daffodil
According to an ancient Greek legend Narcissus he was a very handsome young man, the son of the river god Kefis and the nymph Liriopi. The blind prophet Tiresias foretold to his parents that their child would live to old age only if he never saw his face. Many women tried to capture Narcissus' heart, but he was indifferent to everyone. When the nymph Echo fell in love with him, he repulsed her as well.
One of the cherubim, who was in love with the nymph cruelly rejected by Narcissus, decided to punish Narcissus by making him fall in love with his own face. And he succeeded, and Narcissus died of love for his reflection, which appeared on the surface of river water. In this place grew beautiful white and yellow flowers, which we now call daffodils.
Composition of narcissus
The colors of narcissus contain essential oil. The aerial part contains the phenanthrene alkaloid narcissin, inulin, tannins, bitter substances and others. The leaves contain sciliin, phytosterol, waxes, fatty oil, quercetin and carotenoids. Narciclazine, an antimitotic substance, was isolated from the bulbs.
Growing daffodils
Daffodils feel good in sunny or slightly shaded places. They do not like calcareous and swampy soils, they grow most successfully on loose sandy - clay soil, fertilized with burnt manure. These beautiful flowers need abundant watering without water retention in the soil, especially after flowering, because then the future color is laid in the bulb. The bulbs should be planted in the second half of September to the beginning of October, as that is when the vegetation begins after the summer dormancy and the new shoots begin to grow below the soil surface.
As low temperatures fall, growth stops and resumes during the spring months. After flowering in April - May, the leaves are preserved for some time, photosynthesized, accumulate reserve nutrients in the bulb husks. In June the leaves dry up, the roots and the plants also enter a period of dormancy. The first feeding with mineral fertilizers is done at the onset of vegetation, the second at the appearance of the flowering stem and the third at the end of flowering. In the beginning, nitrogen fertilization is intensified, followed by potassium and phosphorus fertilization.
Watering during the growing season helps to increase the height of the flowering stem, prolongs the flowering period and the formation of larger bulbs. The plant is easily propagated by separating the new bulbs, which bloom in the second - third year. The daughter bulbs are separated from the mother bulb in the second half of the summer. At the end of the summer, the larger ones are planted deeper and the smaller ones shallower. Unlike tulips and hyacinths, daffodils can stay up to 5 years in the same place without affecting their flowering and development.
Collection and storage of daffodils
The flowering above-ground part of the yellow is used for medicinal purposes narcissus. It meets in March and April. Prune the entire aboveground part of the plant during flowering, being careful not to mix the different species. The collected material is cut into pieces of 2-3 cm and dried as soon as possible. For this purpose, it is spread in a thin layer on frames or dried in an oven at a temperature of up to 50 degrees. From 4 - 5 kg of fresh herbs 1 kg of dry is obtained. The dried drug is packed in bales and stored in ventilated and dry rooms without access to direct sunlight, away from non-poisonous herbs.
Benefits of narcissus
The yellow one narcissus helps with bronchitis, bronchial catarrh, asthma, whooping cough, diarrhea, vomiting and more. The herb has an emollient effect on the upper respiratory tract. Narcissus has an antitussive and anti-inflammatory effect, also helps to liquefy phlegm. The drug suppresses excitatory processes in the central nervous system. Daffodil bulbs are being studied as an antiviral agent and as a cure for leukemia. In folk medicine they are used for radiculitis, mastitis, abscess and conjunctivitis in the form of aqueous or alcoholic extracts. Daffodil essential oil is used in the perfume industry.
Folk medicine with narcissus
Our folk medicine recommends the following recipe for a decoction of narcissus: 1 teaspoon of dried drug is covered with 300 ml of boiling water. The mixture is left for 15 minutes, then filtered and drunk 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
You can prepare an alcoholic extract of narcissus by cutting 100 g of bulbs into small pieces and pour 0.5 liters of alcohol or vodka over them. The mixture is left to stand for 10 days in a warm and dark place, shaking, then drink 30 ml 3 times a day.
Bulgarian folk medicine offers the following recipe with yellow daffodil for mastitis and boils: one daffodil bulb is planed and mixed with rice porridge in a ratio of 1: 1. Then the mixture is applied to the affected area and changed 2-3 times.
If you suffer from hemorrhoids, you can apply a slurry of bulbs from narcissus. Grate 1 onion and mix with olive oil in a ratio of 1: 5. The mixture is left to stand for about two days and then it is applied to the affected areas before bedtime.
Harm from daffodils
In larger doses, narcissus is poisonous and causes vomiting. The herb is also considered poisonous to cattle, pigs and goats.
