premise: The genus of plants called Narcissus, many of the species of which are highly esteemed by the floriculturist and lover of cultivated plants, belongs to the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidace. ) This family includes about seventy genera and over eight hundred species that are mostly native in tropical or semi-tropical countries, though a few are found in temperate climates. Many of the species are sought for ornamental purposes and, on account of their beauty and remarkable odour, they are more prized by many than are the species of the Lily family. In this group is classed the American Aloe (Agave Americana) valued not only for cultivation, but also by the Mexicans on account of the sweet fluid which is yielded by its central bud. This liquid, after fermentation, forms an intoxicating liquor known as pulque. By distillation, this yields a liquid, very similar to rum, called by the Mexicans mescal. The leaves furnish a strong fibre, known as vegetable silk, from which, since remote times, paper has been manufactured. The popular opinion is that this plant flowers but once in a century; hence the name Century Plant is often applied to it, though under proper culture it will blossom more frequently.
hypothesis: The members of the Narcissus genus have a distinctive smell.