Narcissus Biflorus

Both Gerard and Parkinson describe and figure this plant, informing us that it was very common in the gardens in their time, the former indeed mentions it as growing wild in fields and sides of woods in the West of England, the latter says he could never hear of its natural place of growth. Clusius reports that he had been credibly informed of its growing wild in England, it probably may, but of this it remains for us to be more clearly ascertained, it undoubtedly is the plant mentioned by Ray in his Synopsis.

As it grows readily, increases in a greater degree than most others and is both ornamental and odoriferous, it is no wonder that we meet with it in almost every garden, and that in abundance, flowering towards the end of April, about three weeks later than the angustifolia. It usually produces two flowers, hence we have called it biflorus, it frequently occurs with one, more rarely with three, in a high state of culture it probably may be found with more, when it has only one flower it may easily be mistaken for the majalis, but may be thus distinguished from it, its petals are of a more yellow hue, the nectary is wholly yellow, wanting the orange rim, it flowers at least three weeks earlier, but the character, which by observation we have found most to be depended on, exists in the flowering stem, the top of which in the biflorus, very soon after it emerges from the ground, bends down and becomes elbowed, as our figure represents, in the majalis, it continues upright till within a short time of the flowers expanding.