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Narcissus papyraceus
Also called Paper White Daffodil, Paper White Narcissus, Běła Narcisa, Paperwhite
Paperwhite narcissus is a bulbous perennial in the daffodil family, grown mainly as a fragrant indoor bloomer forced for winter flowers. Keep it cool and bright but indirect to prolong flowering.
Narcissus papyraceus (from papyrus and aceus; meaning paper-like), one of a few species known as paperwhite, is a perennial bulbous plant native to the Mediterranean region, from Greece to Portugal plus Morocco and Algeria. The species is considered naturalized in the Azores, Corsica, Texas, California and Louisiana. The white flowers are borne in bunches and are strongly fragrant. It is frequently grown as a house plant, often forced to flower at Christmas.
Paperwhites are part of the genus Narcissus which includes plants known as daffodils.
Many cultivars are available and are easy to force into bloom indoors. Unlike other Narcissus species, paperwhites do not require chilling to promote bloom. The bulbs begin to grow as soon as they are planted, with flowers appearing in 3–4 weeks.
Narcissus papyraceus thrives in moist, peat moss based potting mix. Plants can also be grown in containers of water. Cool temperatures between 50–65 °F (10–18 °C) and indirect light will help to prolong the bloom time.
Narcissus abscissus · Dafodill · Narcissus blanchardii · Narcissus broussonetii · Narcissus bujei · Petticoat daffodil · Narcissus calcicola · White Hoop Petticoat Daffodil · Narcissus cavanillesii · Narcissus cernuus · Narcissus cuatrecasasii · Cyclamen Flowered Daffodil
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Narcissus papyraceus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
