Mudflower: Jonquil vs Daffodil: What's the Difference? (How to Tell Them Apart)

Wednesday, 29 July 2026

Jonquil vs Daffodil: What's the Difference? (How to Tell Them Apart)

Daffodil or Jonquil? What's the Difference?

People often use the words daffodil and jonquil interchangeably, but botanically they are not exactly the same thing. The confusion comes from the fact that all jonquils are daffodils, but only some daffodils are jonquils.

In Australia, the word jonquil is often used quite loosely. Many older garden plants sold or passed between gardeners as "jonquils" are actually hybrids or other species of Narcissus. For most home gardeners this does not matter, but it explains why two people may use a different name for the same flower.

To add to the confusion, common names vary depending on where you live. In some English-speaking regions, people casually refer to all members of the genus Narcissus as daffodils. In parts of the French-speaking world, however, the word jonquille is commonly used for all daffodils, even when they are not true Narcissus jonquilla.

Short answer: Every jonquil is a daffodil, but not every daffodil is a jonquil. True jonquils belong to the species Narcissus jonquilla, while "daffodil" refers to the entire Narcissus genus, which includes dozens of species and thousands of hybrids.

Hoop petticoat daffodil Narcissus bulbocodium

What are Jonquils?

True jonquils all belong to one species Narcissus jonquilla.

They are usually recognised by their narrow, rush-like leaves, clusters of smaller flowers, and often (but not always) have a particularly strong, sweet fragrance.

Jonquils often produce several flowers on each stem, unlike many of the large trumpet daffodils that produce a single large flower per stem.

The fragrance is one of the traits many gardeners associate with jonquils, although fragrance can vary between different plants and cultivars.

What is a Daffodil?

All daffodils belong to the genus Narcissus. There are about 60 species in the genus Narcissus, along with countless interspecific hybrids. This includes the large trumpet daffodils, miniature daffodils, multi-headed varieties, fragrant varieties, and jonquils.

In other words:

Every jonquil is a daffodil, but not every daffodil is a jonquil.

At this point, the difference seems fairly simple, but there is more to this story.

Daffodil 'Marieke' - large yellow trumpets

It Gets More Confusing

The daffodil versus jonquil distinction becomes much more complicated because many Narcissus species can interbreed.

As many Narcissus species can cross with each other and create fertile offspring, breeders have created many thousands of hybrids. This has resulted in the enormous diversity of daffodils grown today, with huge differences in flower size, colour, shape, fragrance, flowering time, and growth habit.

A flower may have the narrow leaves and strong fragrance associated with jonquils, while also carrying traits inherited from other Narcissus species. Many modern garden varieties are complex hybrids rather than pure examples of a single wild species.

Growing daffodils from seed is also a fascinating way to see how much variation exists within Narcissus. Unlike bulbs, seed-grown plants are not identical copies of their parents, which can result in surprising differences in flower colour, shape, and flowering time.

Are jonquils more fragrant than daffodils?

Sometimes, but not always.

True Narcissus jonquilla is well known for its sweet fragrance and has been an important parent in breeding many scented daffodil hybrids. However, many modern daffodils are also strongly scented, while some jonquil hybrids may have little fragrance. Fragrance alone is not enough to reliably identify a jonquil.

How to Tell a Jonquil From a Daffodil

Feature	Jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla)	Other Daffodils (Narcissus other species and hybrids)
Leaves	Usually narrow, round, and rush-like leaves that feel almost hollow.	Often have wider, flatter leaves, although some species and hybrids can be intermediate.
Flowers per stem	Often produces several smaller flowers on each stem.	Many varieties produce a single larger flower per stem, although some types also produce multiple small flowers.
Flower size	Usually smaller, delicate flowers.	Can range from tiny miniature flowers to large trumpet blooms.
Fragrance	Often strongly scented with a sweet fragrance.	Fragrance varies. Some have no noticeable scent, others have a heavy fragrance.
Growth habit	Often forms clumps with multiple stems emerging from bulbs.	Growth varies greatly.
Identification difficulty	Not overly difficult for Narcissus jonquilla (although many garden plants sold as jonquils are interspecific hybrids).	Virtually impossible because thousands of hybrids that combine traits from different species.

Many modern Narcissus are hybrids between jonquil and daffodil that contain traits of both parents

This daffodil has jonquil in its ancestry

Why Does the Difference Matter?

If someone calls a flower a jonquil, they are most likely using the local common name rather than referring to the botanical species Narcissus jonquilla.

For everyday gardening, the distinction usually is not overly important. Whether you call it a daffodil or jonquil, it is still a beautiful spring-flowering Narcissus.

In my own garden, I refer to all Narcissus as 'daffodils'. This is largely because I don't grow any pure jonquil, and many of the 'jonquils' available in Australia are hybrids with only a small amount of N jonquilla genetics. Leaf shape, fragrance, flower number, and flowering habit can reveal clues about a plant's ancestry, even when the plant is a complex hybrid.

However, if you are interested in growing, breeding, or identifying different species of daffodils, understanding the difference helps explain why there is so much variation within this fascinating group of plants.

Daffodils are a fascinating group of plants with a surprising amount of variation. When grown from seed, even old heirloom varieties show a surprising amount of variation. Here are some of my other articles exploring different daffodil varieties, comparisons, growing from seed, and observations from my own garden.