Are Daffodils a Form of a Lily?

Liliaceae

• Liliaceae is a scientific family classified under the order Liliales. Members of the Liliaceae family are herbaceous plants, meaning leafy and fleshy as opposed to woody. Liliaceae plants have linear or grassy leaves that grow from the top of a bulb, tuber or rhizome. The flowers are symmetrical from any direction (actinomorphic), and the fruits are typically berries or capsules.

Lilium (Lily) Species

• Lilies are classified in the family Liliaceae and genus Lilium. There are 32 official species of lily. Lilium species are identified by their flowers, which display six tepals (flower petals) and six prominent anthers (pollen sacs) that appear at the ends of the stamen. Lilies bloom from midspring through early fall, depending on the location and variety. Their blooms are long lasting and can easily remain on a plant for longer than a month.

Narcissus (Daffodil) Species

• In the genus Narcissus, part of the family Liliaceae like lilies, there are 10 official species, as identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; however, many botanists would place the number between 40 and 200. Narcissi, like Lilium species, have six flower petals but are distinguished by the trumpet-shaped corona between the petals and the stamen. Daffodils need a cold period to stimulate budding and mostly bloom in the spring, though there are varieties that are fall blooming.

Daffodil Divisions

• Daffodil species and varieties are organized into 13 divisions based on physical characteristics. These divisions are useful for gardeners, as well as flower breeders. These divisions are trumpet, large cupped, small cupped, double, triandrus, cyclamineus, jonquilla, tazetta, poeticus, bulbocodium, split-cupped, miscellaneous, and wild varieties and hybrids. Breeders continuously create new hybrids and cultivars by growing plants from seed and selecting desired physical traits. There are more than 25,000 registered daffodil cultivars.