Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus) are now blooming in my yard, and the bees are happier than I am about that. Narcissus is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. This genus includes all narcissi, some known by common names of daffodil, and jonquil. They come in many shades and combinations of white, yellow, orange, pink and green. All narcissi are early blooming bulb plants, and paperwhites are one of the earliest. They are also a popular variety to force to bloom inside, especially in time for the winter holidays. The ones in the picture, all came from one little clump I found blooming in a fill dirt dump site a couple years ago. Now they are happy, I am happy, but the bees are ecstatic for them to be available for their dining pleasure, this time of year, when other flowers are pretty sparse.
These refugees in my yard started with a few blooms in December, and once the cold weather eased up, they came out in force. This week I happened to be down on the ground at their level, doing some overdue rose bush pruning, and the bees kept flying by on their way to thepaperwhites. I spent a good amount of time just watching the bees on these flowers up close.
You may know that narcissus have special meaning to people in other cultures. Here are some:
- China: symbolizes good fortune, and is the official symbol of the Chinese New Year.
- France: it is a sign of hope.
- Wales: The national flower, and legend claims that the person to find the first daffodil in bloom will be blessed with more gold than silver in the coming year.
- Arabian countries: Many believe its flower is an aphrodisiac and cure for baldness.
- England: Daffodils are also known as lent lilies or Lenten lilies as they typically bloom between Ash Wednesday and Easter.
Like other members of their family, narcissi produce several different alkaloids, which provide some protection for the plant, but may be poisonous if accidentally ingested. This property has been used for medicinal use in traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia.
We now have hundreds of varieties to choose from, and many are very fragrant, as well. Call them what you wish, but find a corner to plant them for the bees, if not for yourself. Narcissi will bring a lot of happiness in the late winter time of year.
Figure 1: Photo by D. Bellamy: Bee on Paperwhites, 01.2023
Figure 22: Photo by D. Bellamy: Paperwhites in a Row, 01.2023
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