Narcissus pseudonarcissus
Narcissus pseudonarcissus
Safety & Hazards
All parts of the plant are poisonous[ 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. , 10 Title Poisonous Plants and Animals. Publication Author Altmann. H. Publisher Chatto and Windus Year 1980 ISBN 0-7011-2526-8 Description A small book, reasonable but not very detailed. , 76 Title Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. Publication Author Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Publisher HMSO Year 1984 ISBN 0112425291 Description Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock. ], the toxins being found mainly in the bulb[ 65 Title A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. Publisher Wolfe Year 1984 ISBN 0723408394 Description Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far. ], but even the flowers are mildly toxic[ 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. ]. An extract of the bulb, when applied to open wounds, has caused staggering, numbness of the whole nervous system and paralysis of the heart[ 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. ].
Botanical Description
Narcissus pseudonarcissus is a perennial plant growing from a bulb around 40mm in diameter; it can grow up to 45cm tall. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials. This is one of several species that have been cultivated on a commercial scale for the extraction of the alkaloid 'galantamine', a substance used medicinally in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and also to treat several other conditions[ 2250 Title Plant Sources of Galanthamine: Phytochemical and Biotechnological Aspects Publication Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, 23:2, 1170-1176, 2009 Author Berkov S. et al Website https://doi.org/10.1080/13102818.2009.10817633 Publisher Year 2009 ISBN 1310-2818 Description ]. The plant is also very widely cultivated as an ornamental, valued especially for its early flowers, there are many named varieties.