Narcissus bulbocodium

Amaryllidaceae. Perennial bulbous daffodil with a wide west-Mediterranean and Atlantic distribution, found from Portugal and Spain to the south of France and Morocco. In the Picos de Europa, it grows on acidic grasslands, heather moorlands, and rocky siliceous slopes, often accompanied by grasses with fine, persistent foliage, between approximately 800 and 1,800 meters.

The plant reaches 10 to 20 cm in height and bears a single flower per stem. Its most immediately striking feature is its very flared funnel-shaped corona, distinctly disproportionate to the six narrow, almost thread-like tepals surrounding it — hence the English vernacular name "hoop petticoat daffodil". The whole is a uniform bright yellow. The foliage is very narrow, almost cylindrical, dark green and shiny.

In its natural habitat, it blooms from February to April depending on altitude and exposure. In cultivation, it can bloom as early as January in mild regions.

The photos show the clumps sown among a dense carpet of dry blond-beige grasses, which exactly replicates the natural conditions favored by the species. In cultivation, a well-drained, slightly acidic soil, in full sun, with a dry summer rest, is ideal. It readily naturalizes in poor grasslands.