Perhaps because they are native to Western Europe, daffodils never received the adulation that was awarded to the more eastern-dwelling tulip. Nevertheless, to the leader of the Ottoman Turks, it was the daffodil that ruled the courts flanking the Bosporus in the 16th century. And the greatest of these were those of Suleiman, the kanuni or "Lawgiver" as he was known to his admiring citizens, or the "Magnificent" to peoples of the West who have tended to admire militant conquerors.
"All bulbous plants are tenacious of life," observed Theophrastus (371-287 BC) the Greek known as the 'father of botany.' Notwithstanding, the botanical name for these flowers derives from an uncouth youth of Greek mythology who committed suicide after being unable to reach his reflection in a pool, 'Narcissus' is a Roman name.
As usual, the ubiquitous 'experts' cannot agree on how many species there are--or were. Choose from anywhere from 16 to almost 160. They have been found from Portugal and Spain in western Europe, across the Pyrenees into western and southern France through Italy, Sicily, the Balkans and Greece, even down into Israel, and Morocco, Algeria and Libya in North Africa. How much further east and north is again a matter of expert contention. Certainly the beloved daffodil is of ancient introduction into Britain--it is the national flower of Wales--along with central and northern Europe. Likewise in Asia they are a possible introduction into Iran, and most certainly to Kashmir, China and Japan.
Call them narcissus, daffodil or jonquil, they are said to be one of the most popular garden plants in Islamic culture. Indeed, the daffodil was the choice of Suleiman I (1490-1574), the first specialist to study them. Well did he earn the epithet "The Magnificent" though not, unfortunately, for his bulbous botanicals. Ruling as Sultan from 1520 during the 'Golden Age' of the Ottoman Empire, his fleets were the scourge of the Mediterranean as well as the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. In a brief siege of Vienna in the fall of 1529, he challenged the Holy Roman Empire which, in truth, was neither 'holy,' 'Roman,' nor--unlike his--an 'Empire.' His laws extended from Algiers through Aden, Budapest and Belgrade to Baghdad. He failed only at the walls of Vienna and years later in 1565 at the Siege of Malta. He died at the ripe old age 71 during the siege of Szigeth, Hungary while at war again with Austria. Not surely a normal flower specialist.
Unlike tulips, it took a couple more centuries for the advantages of daffodils to be recognized
Unlike tulips, it took a couple more centuries for the advantages of daffodils to be recognized. It emerged from far more plebian origins in the gardens of Victorian Britain. The result today is thousands upon thousands of cultivars because, as Gloria Cole wrote, "When you plant daffodil you are planting for your children, and for their grandchildren. Because daffodils, like diamonds, are forever."
One of the few spring bulbs that can reliably match this ability is the graceful little blue Scilla siberica. Planted in lawns, it quickly naturalizes, not the least since it is poisonous to squirrels. Narcissus are also poisonous to squirrels--and to humans, if eaten. Handling quantities of the cut blooms can also cause dermatitis: the 'daffodil itch' of field workers and florists. Nevertheless, pharmacological studies have revealed anti-cancer properties, hence daffodils as the symbol of cancer charities in many countries.
These are represented by what gardeners call 'daffodils'--six petal-like tepals surround a long trumpet-shaped corona. Usually they are bright yellow although pink and even white variations are common. Botanically, these are 'Narcissus,' but in the garden these have a short trumpet, the tepals are often white and the stems may bear multiple blooms. And, unlike daffodils, the gardeners' narcissus may be strongly scented.
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Mentioned by Shakespeare is the wild or true English daffodil, N. pseudonarcissus, was growing in gardens there by 1500s. By the early 17th century, there was a wider choice. A
Dutch catalogue of 1739 listed 50 varieties. By the middle of the century they had become popular garden plants in Holland, Flanders and France but, puzzlingly, not in England if current writings are to be believed. Perhaps it was, rather, a cottage garden favourite--'King Alfred' with a large trumpet was introduced in the late 1800s.
Classification and origin of Narcissus are enough to keep professional botanists in gainful employment for years to come as natural and commercial hybridization sow further confusion. Erudite yes, and much of it centres on the Netherlands, as might be expected of the world's leading commercial producer of daffodils. If acreage there is any indication interest in them is undergoing a resurgence. At the opening of the 21st century, daffodils were a low man on the commercial bulb totem pole. In recent years, they have rapidly risen to third place in Dutch field acreage. As their appeal increases it supports the adage, "If one daffodil is worth a thousand pleasures, then one is too few."
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
Perhaps because they are native to Western Europe, daffodils never received the adulation that was awarded to the more eastern-dwelling tulip. Nevertheless, to the leader of the Ottoman Turks, it was the daffodil that ruled the courts flanking the Bosporus in the 16th century. And the greatest of these were those of Suleiman, the kanuni or "Lawgiver" as he was known to his admiring citizens, or the "Magnificent" to peoples of the West who have tended to admire militant conquerors.
