Narcissi are a genus of the Amaryllidaceae family, and are known as daffodils, jonquils, Lent lilies and many other names throughout the globe. The bulbs originated in the Mediterranean and can be found from the Iberian peninsular, France, Italy, around the Balkans and the Middle East.
 
As easily grown bulbous flowering plants, they have been popular since Ancient times, and indeed the name is thought to derived from the Greek for “intoxicated”, although rendered into the Latin by Pliny the Elder as narcissus. Cultivated in large numbers in the Netherlands since the sixteenth century, they were introduced to the Isles of Scilly in the nineteenth century, probably brought back to the islands by Scillonian pilots and seamen. They thrive here due to the sub-tropical climate, and have been a staple of Scillonian agriculture since 1879, when the first consignment of flowers was sent to Covent Garden by William Trevellick of Rocky Hill Farm.
 
Since then, the flower industry has thrived on the islands.