Narcissus poeticus

Pheasant's Eye Narcissus, Poet's Daffodil, Pheasant's Eye, Poet's Narcissus

Message of the Flower

Beauty Aspiring for the Supramental Realisation

The Mother’s Comment

Beauty is no longer sufficient unto itself; it wants to become divine.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Let beauty be your constant ideal.

The beauty of the soul

The beauty of sentiments

The beauty of thoughts

The beauty of the action

The beauty in the work

so that nothing comes out of your hands which is not an expression of pure and harmonious beauty.

And the Divine Help shall always be with you.

The Mother, On Education: Curriculum

In the world of forms a violation of Beauty is as great a fault as a violation of Truth in the world of ideas. For Beauty is the worship Nature offers to the supreme Master of the universe; Beauty is the divine language in forms. And a consciousness of the Divine which is not translated externally by an understanding and expression of Beauty would be an incomplete consciousness.

The Mother, Prayers and Meditations: January 29, 1917

Delight is the soul of existence, beauty the intense impression, the concentrated form of delight.

Sri Aurobindo, The Future Poetry: The Soul of Poetic Delight and Beauty

Beauty is Ananda taking form—but the form need not be a physical shape. One speaks of a beautiful thought, a beautiful act, a beautiful soul. What we speak of as beauty is Ananda in manifestation.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Poetry and Art: Art, Beauty and Ananda

Beauty is the special divine Manifestation in the physical as Truth is in the mind, Love in the heart, Power in the vital. Supramental beauty is the highest divine beauty manifesting in Matter.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Poetry and Art: Beauty

The one rule of the gnostic life would be the self-expression of the Spirit, the will of the Divine Being; that will, that self-expression could manifest through extreme simplicity or through extreme complexity and opulence or in their natural balance,—for beauty and plenitude, a hidden sweetness and laughter in things, a sunshine and gladness of life are also powers and expressions of the Spirit.

Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine - II: The Divine Life

Beauty is his footprint showing us where he has passed, Love is his heart-beats' rhythm in mortal breasts, Happiness the smile on his adorable face.

Sri Aurobindo, Savitri - I: The Kingdom of Subtle Matter

Colour

Snow-white, orange or yellow

Family

Amaryllidaceae

Cultivars

Recurvus', 'Actaea'

Person who named the flower

Linnaeus

Flower Size

2-3 inches across

Flower Texture

Smooth, waxy

Number of Petals

Six petals with a central corona

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Strong, sweet, described as intoxicating

Leaf Texture

Smooth, flat

Leaf Arrangement

Basal

Leaf Color

Dark green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Herbaceous perennial

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Late spring

Climate

Temperate

Water Requirements

Moderate; prefers moist, well-drained soil

Soil Type

Well-drained, fertile, tolerates some clay

Temperature Ranges

Hardy to USDA zones 3-9

Sun or Shade

Full sun to light shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Narcissus basal rot, bulb fly, aphids

Pollinators

Bees, butterflies

Habitat

Meadows and woods of Europe, especially Alps and Pyrenees

Role in the Ecosystem

Early spring nectar for pollinators

Quotations

Often quoted in beauty and self-reflection contexts

Ornamental

Widely cultivated for garden aesthetic

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Celebrated in spring festivals

Endangered Status

Not endangered