Narcissus papyraceus

Regarding the word, Narcissus, **there are two derivations of the name. 1) A youth of Greek mythology called Narcissus, who, in at least one of many variations of the tale, became so obsessed with his own reflection that, as he kneeled and gazed into a pool of water, he fell into the water and drowned. In some variations, he died of starvation and thirst from sitting so long by the edge of the pool, gazing at his reflection. In both versions, the Narcissus plant first sprang from where he died. 2) The other derivation is that the plant is named after its narcotic properties (narkao, to numb in Greek).

(Not such a great photo... but you'll like the one below better!)

Narcissus papyraceus (from papyrus and aceus ; meaning paper like), commonly known as Paperwhite, is a perennial bulbous plant native to the Mediterranean region. 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 Narcissus genus which is typically associated with daffodils.

**All the above information was borrowed from Wikipedia.

My parents treated me with this Paperwhite Narcissus for Thanksgiving.

It's very fragrant - as fragrant as it is beautiful.

As long as Mr. Shady stays out of the dining room, he'll be just fine. Otherwise he sneezes!