Narcissus is the botanical term for those plants we call 'daffodils'. There are 12 standard divisions or categories of narcissus. Daffodil is used by botanists to refer to those varieties in the trumpet division 1. Jonquils refer to division 7 jonquilla; although many people refer to any narcissus as a daffodil or jonquil.
Each narcissus has six outer petals (perianth), and the central petal structure (corona) which may or may not be cup-shaped. The narcissus are grouped by features of the flower, stem, and number of flowers. Division numbers have nothing to do with quality or overall size of the plant. In the table below, general characteristics and EXAMPLE varieties are listed.
| DIVISION # NAME |
CHARACTERISTICS | EXAMPLE |
| 1 Trumpet |
Cup as long as petals, 1 flower per stem. 12 inches to 20 inches tall |
Dutch Master King Alfred Mount Hood |
| 2 Long/Large Cup |
Cup less than length of petal
but more than a third of length; 1 flower per stem. 14 to 20 inches tall |
Carlton Fortissimo Ice Follies |
| 3 Small Cup |
Cup less than a third of petal
length. 1 flower per stem, 14 to 20 inches tall |
Amor Barrett Browning |
| 4 Double Daffodils |
Many central petals not formed as distinct cups. 1-2 stems per bulb, 14 to 20 inches tall | Cheerfulness Tahiti Petit Four |
| 5 Triandrus |
2 - 3 flowers per stem, 1 - 2 stems per bulb.
Small nodding flowers. 12 to 16 inches tall. Some fragrant. |
Ice Wings Thalia Hawera |
| 6 Cyclamineus |
Long cups, swept-back petals for a look like Cyclamen. 1-2 stems per bulb, 8-14 in. tall. Use in rock gardens or for forcing. | Jenny Jetfire |
| 7 Jonquilla |
Several small fragrant flowers per
stem. 12 to 16 in. tall |
Pipit Trevithian |
| 8 Tazetta |
Many musky-fragrant flowers per stem. Cups very short. 12 to 18 in. tall |
Geranium Scarlet Gem Paperwhite |
| 9 Poeticus |
White petals with small 'eye' cup. One flower per stem, 12-17 in. tall |
Actea |
| 10 Species/Wild |
Propogated forms of wild or hybrid types. Typically small. | Hoop Petticoat (Bulbocodium Conspicuous) Twin Sisters |
| 11 Split Cup "Butterfly" |
Cup split for at least a third of
its length. Large blossoms. |
Palmares Tricollet |
| 12 Miscellaneous |
Bulbs not falling into other divisions. | Tete-a-Tete |