Narcissus and Daffodil

x Preface
were poignantly contrasted in an article by Clair Woodward entitled ‘Ending the
taboo: Reagan was right to go public over Alzheimer’s’. 7 Subsequently, I saw the
suffering and death of my mother from Alzheimer’s disease, in 1995. My hope,
therefore, is that this volume will prove a useful reference for those researching
the exciting field of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids.
I am pleased to be editor for the series of comprehensive reviews the Narcissus
volume comprises, but am particularly gratified that much original material, and
material accessible only with difficulty in the west, has been included.
Notes on nomenclature
1 Galanthamine is also referred to as galantamine; in this volume the former
name has been used exclusively.
2 In popular UK usage, the term ‘daffodil’ is used for ‘trumpet’ or ‘large cup’
types of Narcissus, and ‘narcissi’ for smaller flowered types. In the present
volume the term Narcissus (or narcissus) has been used to cover all types, using
the Latin at first mention or where referring to a specific cultivar or other
taxon, otherwise using the colloquial ‘narcissus’. Where a reference is to a
particular species or group of narcissus (e.g., Tazetta cultivars), this is stated.
3 The taxonomy of the genus Narcissus is subject to much debate (Brian Mathew
discusses ‘splitters’ and ‘lumpers’ in chapter 3 of this volume). While the editor
had hoped, optimistically, to achieve uniformity of narcissus names throughout
this volume, this did not prove practical. Except in specialist chapters,
however, names conform as far as feasible to those given in The International
Daffodil Register and Classified List 1998 of the Royal Horticultural Society.
Gordon R. Hanks
7 Woodward, C. (1995) Ending the taboo: Reagan was right to go public over Alzheimer’s. Signpost,
1 (31), 18–19.