Narcissus tazetta

Narcissus tazetta
Chinese sacred lily
Narcissus tazetta in the Judean hills, west of Jerusalem
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
clade: Angiosperms
clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae
Genus: Narcissus
Species: N. tazetta
Binomial name
Narcissus tazetta
L.

Narcissus tazetta (Daffodil, Chinese Sacred Lily, Bunch-flowered Narcissus, Joss flower) is a perennial ornamental plant that grows from a bulb.

The Chinese sacred lily is neither sacred nor a lily. In the Romanized form of written Mandarin it is called shui xian hua (水仙花) which can be translated as water goddess flower. The botanical designation is Narcissus tazetta v. chinensis, or Ruen.

Its fragrance is quite different from that of its distant cousin, the paperwhite narcissus which has an animal scent to many people.

Special topiary carving techniques can be used to form leaves and flowers into fanciful shapes. The flower is an important element in the Chinese lunar new year celebration, and is sold at flower markets before the Chinese New Year. It is believed to be good luck to have the flower bloom on the first day of the Chinese lunar new year spring festival.

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