Which flower was Persephone picking when Hades abducted her?

Persephone was picking a narcissus when Hades abducted her.

The detail comes chiefly from the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, an anonymous Greek poem generally dated to the seventh century BC. Persephone was gathering flowers with companions in a meadow when she reached for a striking narcissus. The hymn says Earth grew the flower at Zeus's will as a lure for Hades, also called Aidoneus, who wanted to carry Persephone into the Underworld.

The poem lists other flowers too, including roses, crocuses, violets, irises, and hyacinths. That list can cause confusion, but the narcissus receives special emphasis because it is the deliberate trap. Hades then opened a cleft in the earth, seized Persephone, and carried her away in his chariot.

Demeter's grief caused the earth to become barren, creating the mythic explanation for seasonal change. Hermes eventually negotiated Persephone's return, but she had eaten pomegranate seeds in the Underworld. Because of that food, she had to spend part of each year with Hades, while her return brought renewed fertility. The myth is distinct from the later story of the youth Narcissus, though both involve the same flower.