Buttercup, Daffodil, or Narcissus

(Amaryllidaceae - Amaryllis Family)

Large View

• Form
  • small- to medium-sized, perennial Spring-flowering bulb
  • ranging from 6" to 18" tall by 4" to 12" wide, depending upon type
  • upright clump growth habit

• Culture
  • full sun to partial shade
  • best performance occurs in full sun in moist, rich, well-drained soils, but Buttercups are tolerant of average fertility soils and some degree of light shade
  • propagated primarily by bulblet separation or bulb division
  • Amaryllis Family, with bulb rot being the only major disease problem, prevented by not planting too deeply and planting in good soils of well-drained character
  • abundantly available in late Summer and throughout Autumn as dry bulbs
  • allow foliage to fully senesce (turn yellow and brown, and be easy to pull up) before its removal in June, so that photosynthesis will replenish food to the subterranean bulb so that next year's flowering will be optimized
  • alternatively, Buttercups can be interplanted with Daylilies (Hemerocallis) and the Buttercup foliage is allowed to senesce untouched amongst the overwhelming emergent Daylily foliage
  • the most effective display is achieved if identical colors are grouped together in a cluster, drift, bed, or mass planting, but mixed colors are also used in some designs
  • a general rule of thumb for all types of bulbs is to plant them at a spacing and depth that is three times the height of the bulb; for Hybrid Buttercups, this often translates into planting bulbs about 4"-6" apart and 4"-8" deep in September or October in well-drained soil, preferably in full sun to partial sun; however, the Species Narcissi are smaller, and should be planted about 2"-4" apart and 2"-4" deep
  • actual bloom time for a specific cultivar can be altered by planting the same lot of bulbs into locations that differ in sun versus shade, or shallow versus deep planting depth (cooler soils in shade or greater planting depth delay the time to flowering, all other things being equal)
  • emerging foliage is tolerant of freezes down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (-9 degrees Celsius), although minor tip damage may occur

• Foliage
  • blue-green or dark green, emerging during February, March, or April (depending upon cultivar) and ranging from 8" to 18" tall by 0.5" wide
  • flat blades are nearly fully expanded and upright when the plant is in flower, but lodge (fall over) with time, becoming yellow-brown in June and dead by July

• Flowers
  • the trumpet-shaped central floral tube (corona) is surrounded by six outer segments (sepals and petals, forming the corolla)
  • the perianth (the corolla plus corona) is usually a shade of yellow, white, orange, or peach, or in a mixed bicolor combination
  • each flower is effective for one or two weeks, from early March through May, depending upon cultivar
  • flowers are usually nodding (due to a bend in the flowering stalk just behind the flower), but flowers may be horizontal or even angled upward

• Fruits
  • the green elongated fruit at the top of the fruiting stalk often has the residual floral structure still attached; both turn to brown
  • the fruits can be dead-headed (sheared back to the flower stalks) for slightly larger flowers the following Spring, but are often ignored and left to senesce with the foliage

• Twigs
  • not applicable

• Trunk
  • not applicable

• ID Summary
  • blue-green blades of flattened, dense foliage emerge in late Winter or early Spring, and remain through June
  • floral colors or bicolors of yellow, white, orange, and salmon are characteristic of Narcissus, with a trumpet-shaped central corona unique to this Spring bulb's floral structure

• Function
  • Spring-flowering accent bulb for foundations, beds, borders, entranceways, raised planters, drifts, pathways, or mass plantings

• Texture
  • medium texture
  • thick density

• Assets
  • early Spring accent foliage and flowers
  • since Daffodils have bright yellow, orange, or white flowers, they are eye-catchers from a long distance, especially when in group or mass plantings
  • the many cultivars and species offer great variation in floral color, floral size, plant height, and bloom period

• Liabilities
  • very persistent senescent foliage into early Summer
  • a decline in floral size and vigor for the largest-flowering hybrids do not make the most expensive Daffodils a wise investment in the long run (over several years), especially in mass plantings, where less expensive hybrid or species Daffodils perform much better

• Habitat
  • zones 4 to 8
  • the various species of Narcissus are native to Europe and the Mediterranean

• Alternates
  • other early Spring-flowering major bulbs (Hyacinthus, Tulipa, etc.) or minor bulbs (Chionodoxa, Crocus, Eranthus, Galanthus, Iris danfordiae, Muscari, Puschkinia, Tulipa species, etc.)

• Variants
  • functionally speaking for homeowners, landscapers, and designers, there are two basic types of Buttercups:
    • Botanical Narcissi - a group of several species of Narcissus with smaller flowers, compact height (usually 6" to 10" tall), earlier flowering (early March to early April), and sometimes having two or more flowers per peduncle; these Narcissi will slowly increase their numbers by underground bulb offsets and expand in clump width over time
    • Trumpet Narcissi - the most common landscape Narcissi, also called Buttercups, Daffodils, or large-cupped Daffodils, with many cultivars of single color or bicolor, usually having one flower per peduncle, 14" to 18" tall, with early March to May flowering; these Narcissi look great for a year or two but will decrease their numbers, floral size, and vigor over time because their bulb size at harvest (and sale) is grown to larger-than-normal proportions
  • for exhibitors and judges at floral shows, there are 11 major divisions of Narcissus, primarily based upon floral size and structure

NOTES

• Translation
  • Narcissus is named after the mythological figure Narcissus, who fell in love with his reflection while peering into a pool of water (analogous to the Narcissus flower, which nods [angles slightly downward] when in bloom).
  • x hybridus refers to the hybrid origin of the modern cultivars of this genus.

• Purpose
  • Buttercup is a major Spring-flowering bulb (so-called because the bulb size and floral structure is large, relative to the minor bulbs), often yellow in floral color.

• Summary
  • Narcissus x hybridus is known as a Spring-flowering bulb with slightly nodding showy flowers, of bright yellow, orange, white, or peach shades, effective in clusters or group plantings, and prominently seen from a distance, but having the most persistent senescent foliage of any bulb.