Narcissus
A genus of bulbous plants in the Amaryllidaceae family. Also called setchuka in Japanese, beside the usual name suisen.
A genus of cold-resistant bulbous plants in the Amaryllidaceae family. Around 30 species grow wild in areas including the Iberian Peninsula, coastal regions of the Mediterranean, and North Africa. Many cultivated varieties exist as well. Key narcissus varieties include rappa-zuisen (wild daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus), yaezaki-suisen (Double Daffodil cultivars, N. cv.), fusazaki-suisen (bunch-flowered daffodil, N. tazetta), kuchibeni-suisen (poet’s daffodil, N. poeticus), and ki-zuisen (jonquil, N. jonquilla). Narcissus plants reached Japan by way of China and have become naturalized there as well.
Bulbs are scaly, and leaves grow from them in clusters. Leaves are linear and tinged with whitish green. Plants produce from one to several six-petaled flowers that protrude horizontally from the ends of upright stems. Flower colors include white, yellow, vermillion, and pink. Flowers have dish-shaped paracorollas at their centers. Heights range from about 20 to 30 cm. Parts including the leaves and bulbs are toxic, and accidental ingestion can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms. The genus name Narcissus is derived from the name of a handsome youth from Greek mythology (Nárkissos in Ancient Greek).
Nihon-zuisen (Japanese narcissus, Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis), which has become naturalized in Japan, is considered a subspecies of the bunch-flowered daffodil (Fusazaki-suisen). When used on its own, the word suisen often refers to the Nihon-zuisen variety. Its flowers are white with yellow paracorollas. Characterized by their refreshing fragrance and neat, trim appearance, they are also used as New Year’s decorations.
Suisen is not referenced anywhere in Manyoshu (“Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”) poetry. Its first appearance in Japanese literature is an entry for suisen-ka (ka denoting “flower”) in the Muromachi-period (1336–1573) dictionary of Japanese, the Kagakushu (“Collection of Low/Mundane Studies”). Well-known meadows of the flowers are found along present-day Fukui Prefecture’s Echizen Coast, in the Nada Kuroiwa Narcissus Park on Awaji Island, and Kyonan Town in Minami Boso, Chiba Prefecture.
With its flowers that bloom from December through February, “suisen” is a kigo seasonal word associated with winter, while the “ki-zuisen” (jonquil) and “rappa-zuisen” (wild daffodil) varieties native to Southern Europe, which flower in March and April, are considered spring kigo.
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12月から2月にかけ日本海を望む断崖に、ニホンズイセンの白い花が咲き誇る。
鋸南町・江月地区では、12月頃から町道の両側約3kmにわたりニホンズイセンが咲く。毎年12月上旬に「水仙まつり」を開催し、水仙の花の販売などが行われる。
兵庫県 淡路島の南部、標高608mの諭鶴羽山系から海を望む急傾斜の7haにわたり約500万本の野生のニホンズイセンが群生する。
群馬県東吾妻町の岩井親水公園脇の畑では、4月上旬頃から約30万本のラッパズイセンが咲く。毎年4月上旬に岩井親水公園では「東吾妻町すいせん祭り」が開催される。
1000種類以上の植物、花の名前がわかる植物図鑑。スイセンの代表的な品種といった基本情報や育て方などについて、「趣味の園芸」講師陣の専門家が執筆している。
東京都福祉保健局の食品安全情報サイト「食品衛生の窓」では、「間違えやすい有毒植物」としてスイセンの情報を掲載している。
References
- 木村陽二郎 監修,植物文化研究会, 雅麗 編,柏書房
- 平凡社