Chinese Sacred Lily

Chinese sacred lily
Chinese Sacred Lily

Is it spring yet? Well, some flowers thought that way a couple of winters ago here in Austin, Texas. We had several days of unseasonably warm weather, which is not untypical. Having daytime highs in the 70s (20s in Celsius) and lows only in the 40s (single digits in Celsius) is not your typical January weather.

Chinese sacred lily


Although many plants suffered from a freeze in early January 2023, that is not true for the Chinese Sacred Lily or Daffodil. We had some planted in our front yard. In previous years, I would typically see them blooming in mid-to-late February. Will it be the same this winter?

The Chinese Sacred Lily is also known as paperwhite, bunch-flowered narcissus, bunch-flowered daffodil, and others. Its scientific name is Narcissus tazetta. It grows from bulbs. As seen in these photos, the white flowers have a golden-yellow center. Its honey-citrus scent is lovely. Daffodils are called Chinese Sacred Lilies because they are believed to symbolize good fortune and prosperity in Chinese culture.

Chinese sacred lily


For Cee’s FOTD.


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11 Responses

  1. Anne Sandler
    | Reply

    Beautiful images Egidio, and again I learned something.

    • Egidio Leitao
      | Reply

      Thank you, Anne. I’m glad there was useful/new information in the post for you.

  2. margaret21
    | Reply

    I’d never heard this name for this narcissus. It elevates it to another sphere!

    • Egidio Leitao
      | Reply

      Flowers often have different names in different places. Thanks for writing.

  3. Writing to Freedom
    | Reply

    Wonderful photos and backstory Egidio. I know them as daffodils and they often bloom early here too.

    • Egidio Leitao
      | Reply

      Thanks, Brad. I am used to daffodils, too. I do like the poetic of Chinese Sacred Lily, though. I think I’ll miss those daffodils in the old home.

  4. Tra Italia e Finlandia
    | Reply

    Delicatissimo e bellissimo!

  5. Cee Neuner
    | Reply

    Beautiful photos 😀

  6. Pingback: […] — Yesterday I went on a photo walk with a friend of mine. We picked the Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve here in Austin, Texas. We figured if we couldn’t find any macro subjects to photograph, we would still have the peacocks that inhabit that park. Well, we did see several peacocks and also a few flowers that were blooming. There were a couple of daffodils, including some Chinese Sacred Lilies. […]

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