---
title: "Narcissus (daffodils): classification, 179 accepted species, the 13 divisions and cut-flower care | Floreboard"
url: https://floreboard.com/en/plants/narcissus/
language: en
last_reviewed: 2026-10-24
publisher: Floreboard
---

Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 925 · 1806 · Sydenham Edwards · public domain

# Narcissus L.

daffodils · Amaryllidaceae

- **Accepted name:** Narcissus L.
- **First published:** Sp. Pl.: 289 (1753)
- **Family:** Amaryllidaceae
- **Accepted species:** 179 (including 103 natural hybrids)
- **Native range:** 41 TDWG regions, Macaronesia to Afghanistan, and south-east China to Japan
- **Common names:** daffodils, Narcissus
- **Databases:** [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1558-1) · [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/n/1558-1) · [WCVP](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232/taxon/282547) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/8VZL3) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2858200)

## Overview

Narcissus belongs to the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, and is one of the most important spring bulbs. Kew gives its native range as Macaronesia (the Atlantic islands such as the Canaries) to Afghanistan, with an outlying branch from south-east China to Japan; the RHS says garden daffodils mainly originate in southern Europe and North Africa, and N. pseudonarcissus is native in Britain.

The Chinese sacred lily, grown for the Lunar New Year, is treated by WCVP as Narcissus tazetta subsp. chinensis, native to south-east China and Japan; N. tazetta itself ranges from the Mediterranean to Central Asia.

## Classification and horticultural divisions

Linnaeus published the genus in Species Plantarum in 1753. A large share of the species WCVP accepts are natural hybrids (names with ×), and former segregate genera such as Ajax, Jonquilla and Corbularia are now synonyms, listed below.

In horticulture, daffodils are divided into 13 groups, or divisions, based mainly on flower form. The RHS notes that Division 7 (Jonquilla and Apodanthus) is highly scented and Division 9 (Poeticus) is usually the last to flower. Planting a range of species and divisions gives flowers to pick from February to early May.

| Genus name | Published in |
| --- | --- |
| × Narcibularia H.R.Wehrh. | Gartenstauden 1: 204 (1929) |
| Ajax Salisb. ex Haw. | Suppl. Pl. Succ.: 111 (1819) |
| Argenope Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 102 (1866) |
| Assaracus Haw. | Monogr. Narciss.: 4 (1831) |
| Aurelia J.Gay | Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 10: 95 (1858) |
| Autogenes Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 20 (1838) |
| Braxireon Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 23 (1836) |
| Calathinus Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 21 (1838) |
| Carregnoa Boiss. | Voy. Bot. Espagne 2: 605 (1842) |
| Chione Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 100 (1866) |
| Chloraster Haw. | Philos. Mag. J. 63: 103 (1824) |
| Codiaminum Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 21 (1838) |
| Corbularia Salisb. ex Haw. | Suppl. Pl. Succ.: 120 (1819) |
| Cydenis Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 99 (1866) |
| Diomedes Haw. | Philos. Mag. J. 62: 440 (1823) |
| Ganymedes Salisb. ex Haw. | Suppl. Pl. Succ.: 130 (1819) |
| Gymnoterpe Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 108 (1866) |
| Helena Haw. | Monogr. Narciss.: 13 (1831) |
| Hermione Salisb. ex Haw. | Suppl. Pl. Succ.: 137 (1819) |
| Illus Haw. | Monogr. Narciss.: 4 (1831) |
| Jonquilla Haw. | Monogr. Narciss.: 7 (1831) |
| Moskerion Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 21 (1838) |
| Oileus Haw. | Monogr. Narciss.: 4 (1831) |
| Panza Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 99 (1866) |
| Patrocles Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 100 (1866) |
| Philogyne Salisb. | Trans. Hort. Soc. London 1: 355 (1812) |
| Phylogyne Salisb. ex Haw. | Suppl. Pl. Succ.: 132 (1819) |
| Plateana Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 100 (1866) |
| Prasiteles Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 102 (1866) |
| Queltia Salisb. ex Haw. | Syn. Pl. Succ. 1: 328 (1812) |
| Schisanthes Haw. | Suppl. Pl. Succ.: 128 (1819) |
| Stephanophorum Dulac | Fl. Hautes-Pyrénées: 133 (1867) |
| Tapeinaegle Herb. | Edwards's Bot. Reg. 33: t. 22, f. 4 (1847) |
| Tapeinanthus Herb. | Amaryllidaceae: 190 (1837) |
| Tityrus Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 101 (1866) |
| Tros Haw. | Monogr. Narciss.: 5 (1831) |
| Veniera Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 101 (1866) |

## Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 41 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 61 more.

Native regions (41)

AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAustriaBalearesBelgiumCanary Is.China SoutheastCorseCyprusEast Aegean Is.EgyptFranceGermanyGreat BritainGreeceHungaryIranIraqItalyJapanKritiLebanon-SyriaLibyaMoroccoNetherlandsNW. Balkan Pen.PakistanPalestinePortugalRomaniaSardegnaSiciliaSinaiSpainSwitzerlandTunisiaTürkiyeTurkmenistanUkraineUzbekistan

### Introduced

Introduced regions (61)

AlabamaArkansasAzoresBaltic StatesBermudaBritish ColumbiaBulgariaCaliforniaCentral European RussiaConnecticutCzechia-SlovakiaFalkland Is.FloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaIrelandKentuckyKoreaKuril Is.LouisianaMadeiraMaineMarylandMassachusettsMexico CentralMichiganMississippiMissouriNew BrunswickNew JerseyNew South WalesNew YorkNew Zealand NorthNew Zealand SouthNewfoundlandNorfolk Is.North CarolinaOhioOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaQuébecRhode I.South AustraliaSouth CarolinaTadzhikistanTasmaniaTennesseeTexasTranscaucasusTürkiye-in-EuropeUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest HimalayaWest SiberiaWest VirginiaWestern AustraliaWisconsin

## Accepted species

WCVP accepts 179 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-24.

| Name | On this site |
| --- | --- |
| Narcissus × abilioi Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus abscissus (Haw.) Schult. & Schult.f. |   |
| Narcissus × aedoi Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × aguiarii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus albicans (Haw.) Spreng. |   |
| Narcissus albimarginatus D.Müll.-Doblies & U.Müll.-Doblies |   |
| Narcissus alcaracensis S.Ríos, D.Rivera, Alcaraz & Obón |   |
| Narcissus alcobacensis A.Fern. ex Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × alejandrei Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × alentejanus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × alleniae Donn.-Morg. |   |
| Narcissus × aloysii-villarii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × andorranus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × andujarensis Hervás, Patino, Solís & Urrutia |   |
| Narcissus × aranensis Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus assoanus Dufour ex Schult. & Schult.f. |   |
| Narcissus atlanticus Stern |   |
| Narcissus × backhousei Baker |   |
| Narcissus × bakeri K.Richt. |   |
| Narcissus bellirius Fridl. |   |
| Narcissus × bernardi DC. ex Hénon |   |
| Narcissus bertolonii Parl. |   |
| Narcissus bicolor L. |   |
| Narcissus × boutignyanus Philippe |   |
| Narcissus × brevitubulosus A.Fern. |   |
| Narcissus × briffae Mifsud |   |
| Narcissus broussonetii Lag. |   |
| Narcissus bujei (Fern.Casas) Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus bulbocodium L. |   |
| Narcissus × buxtonii K.Richt. |   |
| Narcissus × cadevallii Sennen |   |
| Narcissus calcicola Mendonça |   |
| Narcissus cantabricus DC. |   |
| Narcissus × caramulensis P.Ribeiro, Paiva & H.Freitas |   |
| Narcissus × cardonae Lloret & Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × carringtonii Rozeira |   |
| Narcissus cavanillesii Barra & G.López |   |
| Narcissus × cazorlanus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × chevassutii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × cofinyalensis Uribe-Ech. & Urrutia |   |
| Narcissus × compressus Haw. |   |
| Narcissus confusus Pugsley |   |
| Narcissus × consolationis Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus cordubensis Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus cuatrecasasii Fern.Casas, M.Laínz & Ruíz Rejón |   |
| Narcissus cuneiflorus (Salisb. ex Haw.) Link |   |
| Narcissus cyclamineus DC. |   |
| Narcissus × cyclazetta Chater & Stace |   |
| Narcissus deficiens Herb. |   |
| Narcissus × dezanus García Mart. & Silva Pando |   |
| Narcissus × dichromus P.D.Sell |   |
| Narcissus dubius Gouan |   |
| Narcissus × egabrensis J.López-Tirado |   |
| Narcissus × eseranus Díez Domínguez, Marín Padellano & Ureña |   |
| Narcissus × esteban-infantesii Díez Domínguez & Hervás |   |
| Narcissus × fenzii Sprenger |   |
| Narcissus fernandesii Pedro |   |
| Narcissus × fosteri Lynch |   |
| Narcissus gaditanus Boiss. & Reut. |   |
| Narcissus × galaicus González, Patino, Solís & Urrutia |   |
| Narcissus × galdoanus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus gallaecicus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × gatensis J.F.Álvarez, Castro Prig., P.Gómez-Murillo & Áng.Sánchez |   |
| Narcissus × georgemawii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus gigas (Haw.) Steud. |   |
| Narcissus grandae Áng.Sánchez, J.F.Álvarez, Castro Prig., Crystal, P.Gómez-Mur |   |
| Narcissus × gredensis Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × hannibalis A.Fern. |   |
| Narcissus hedraeanthus (Webb & Heldr.) Colmeiro |   |
| Narcissus × hervasii Barra & Ureña |   |
| Narcissus hesperidis Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × hispalensis J.López-Tirado |   |
| Narcissus hispanicus Gouan |   |
| Narcissus × incomparabilis Mill. |   |
| Narcissus jacetanus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus jacquemoudii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus jeanmonodii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus jonquilla L. | 2 plates |
| Narcissus × juanae Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × kirchnerianus P.Escobar |   |
| Narcissus × koshinomurae Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus leonensis Pugsley |   |
| Narcissus × libarensis Sánchez García & Mart.Ort. |   |
| Narcissus × litigiosus Amo |   |
| Narcissus macrolobus (Jord.) Pugsley |   |
| Narcissus × madronensis Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × maginae Fern.Casas & Susanna |   |
| Narcissus × magnenii Rouy |   |
| Narcissus magniobesus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus mantisalcus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × margaritae Sprenger |   |
| Narcissus × mariae-angelorum Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × maroccanus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × martinoae Nava & Fern.Casado |   |
| Narcissus marvieri Jahand. & Maire |   |
| Narcissus matiasii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × medioluteus Mill. |   |
| Narcissus × mikelii-lordae Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus minor L. | 1 plate |
| Narcissus moleroi Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × monochromus P.D.Sell |   |
| Narcissus moschatus L. |   |
| Narcissus × munozii-alvarezii J.López-Tirado |   |
| Narcissus munozii-garmendiae Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × neocarpetanus Rivas Ponce, C.Soriano & Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus nevadensis Pugsley |   |
| Narcissus nobilis (Haw.) Schult. & Schult.f. |   |
| Narcissus × nutans Haw. |   |
| Narcissus obesus Salisb. |   |
| Narcissus obsoletus (Haw.) Spach |   |
| Narcissus × odorus L. |   |
| Narcissus × oiarbidei Fern.Casas & Uribe-Ech. |   |
| Narcissus × olivensis Fern.Casas & Florencio |   |
| Narcissus pachybolbus Durieu |   |
| Narcissus × palentinus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus pallidiflorus Pugsley |   |
| Narcissus papyraceus Ker Gawl. |   |
| Narcissus × parautensis Fern.Casas & P.Gómez-Murillo |   |
| Narcissus × perangustus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × perezlarae Font Quer |   |
| Narcissus peroccidentalis Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × petri-mariae Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × poculiformis Salisb. |   |
| Narcissus poeticus L. |   |
| Narcissus × ponsii-sorollae Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus portensis Pugsley |   |
| Narcissus portomosensis A.Fern. ex Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus pseudonarcissus L. | 1 plate |
| Narcissus × pugsleyi Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × pujolii Font Quer |   |
| Narcissus × pyrenaicus Dorda, Rivas Ponce & Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × rafaelii Patino & Uribe-Ech. |   |
| Narcissus ramirezii P.Gómez-Murillo, Arellano-Martín & Áng.Sánchez |   |
| Narcissus × repulloi J.López-Tirado |   |
| Narcissus × richardianus P.Escobar |   |
| Narcissus × rogendorfii Batt. & Trab. |   |
| Narcissus romieuxii Braun-Blanq. & Maire |   |
| Narcissus × romoi Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus rupicola Dufour |   |
| Narcissus × rupidulus Fern.Casas & Susanna |   |
| Narcissus salmonii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus saltuum Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × sandersii Díez Domínguez & Hervás |   |
| Narcissus scaberulus Henriq. |   |
| Narcissus segoviensis Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus segurensis S.Ríos, D.Rivera, Alcaraz & Obón |   |
| Narcissus serotinus L. |   |
| Narcissus × sexitanus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus smythiesii Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × somedanus Fern.Casado, Nava & Suárez Pérez |   |
| Narcissus × souliei Guétrot |   |
| Narcissus × splendidus P.Gómez-Murillo & Arellano-Martín |   |
| Narcissus × spofforthiae Herb. |   |
| Narcissus × stenanthus (Lange) Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus supramontanus Arrigoni |   |
| Narcissus × taitii Henriq. |   |
| Narcissus tazetta L. | 2 plates |
| Narcissus × tenuior Curtis |   |
| Narcissus tortifolius Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × trevejensis Patino, Urrutia & Valencia |   |
| Narcissus triandrus L. |   |
| Narcissus × trianoi J.López-Tirado |   |
| Narcissus × trilobus L. |   |
| Narcissus × tuckeri Barra & G.López |   |
| Narcissus × turrensis Tucker ex De Bellard & Hervás |   |
| Narcissus × urenae J.Fuentes, De Bellard & Esteban-Infantes |   |
| Narcissus × urrutiae Fern.Casas & Uribe-Ech. |   |
| Narcissus × victoriae Sprenger |   |
| Narcissus vilchezii P.Gómez-Murillo & Hervás |   |
| Narcissus × villanovensis J.López-Tirado |   |
| Narcissus viridiflorus Schousb. |   |
| Narcissus watieri Maire |   |
| Narcissus × weickertii Sánchez Gullón & Castro Prig. |   |
| Narcissus willkommii (Samp.) A.Fern. |   |
| Narcissus × xanthochlorus Fern.Casas |   |
| Narcissus × xaverii Nava & Fern.Casado |   |
| Narcissus × xereciensis Amarillo & I.Sánchez García |   |
| Narcissus yepesii S.Ríos, D.Rivera, Alcaraz & Obón |   |
| Narcissus × zorrakinii Fern.Casas, Patino, J.Valencia & Uribe-Ech. |   |

## Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bot-mag-1-15.jpg)Narcissus jonquillaCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 15 · 1787,
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bot-mag-1-6.jpg)Narcissus minorCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 6 · 1787,
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bm-925.jpg)Narcissus TazettaCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 925 · 1806, Sydenham Edwards
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/favourite-flowers-narcissus-pseudonarcissus.jpg)N. pseudo-narcissus, Narcissus jonquillaFavourite Flowers of Garden and Greenhouse · Pl. 259 · 1897,
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/favourite-flowers-narcissus-tazetta.jpg)Narcissus tazettaFavourite Flowers of Garden and Greenhouse · Pl. 260 · 1897,

## Cut-flower handling and safety

Floralife advises buying at the “pencil” stage (bud pointing straight up) or the “gooseneck” stage (bud just bending), storing at 1–3 °C and 75–85% relative humidity; vase life is 5–7 days, ethylene sensitivity is low and post-harvest disease is rare. Buds stored too long may fail to open.

Cut daffodils release a substance that harms other flowers, so Floralife advises not mixing them with other flowers and keeping them in a separate bucket. Some publications recommend hydrating them alone for six hours or more before mixing; Floralife notes it has not confirmed this practice. The stems are soft, so take care with foam. The ASPCA lists daffodils as toxic to dogs, cats and horses: the toxic principles are lycorine and other alkaloids, the bulbs are the most poisonous part, and eating them causes vomiting, salivation and diarrhoea, with convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors and heart arrhythmias after large amounts.

## Further reading

- [Flower guide](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/narcissus/)
- [Reference library](https://floreboard.com/en/library/)

## References

- [WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232)](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232) · accessed 2026-10-24
- [Kew (POWO data on the ColPlanta site) · Narcissus native range](https://colplanta.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1558-1/general-information)
- [RHS · How to grow daffodils](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/daffodils/growing-guide)
- [Floralife · Daffodil care and handling](https://floralife.com/flowers/daffodil/)
- [ASPCA Animal Poison Control · Daffodil](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/daffodil)

Names, places of publication, synonyms and distribution checked against WCVP (2026-10-24); the text follows the cited sources and awaits specialist review.