January 2017 Web
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Daffodils<br />
Looking at the variety of colour, shape and length of flowering<br />
season shown in the numerous bulb catalogues which come<br />
through the letterbox from August onwards each year, it is<br />
sometimes hard to decide if the plants under the heading daffodil<br />
are all of the same species.<br />
The language alone is confusing enough so let us sort that out<br />
first of all. We know the plants as daffodils but narcissus is their<br />
botanical name. The word is derived from narkon and is related<br />
to their narcotic properties. The word daffodil originally applied<br />
only to the wild Lent Lily, although daffodils are, of course,<br />
totally unrelated to lilies. The name comes from an old English<br />
word “affodille”. The name Lent Lily came about because they<br />
are most common and at their best during Lent.<br />
The large number of varieties which appear in our bulb<br />
catalogues have been developed from wild species found in<br />
France, Spain, Portugal, and Northern Italy. Daffodils which bear<br />
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