Narcissus and Daffodil

406 C.G. Julian and P.W. Bowers
symptoms is rapid, but usually resolves spontaneously within 3 hours (Litovitz
and Fahay, 1982). In a second report (Vigneau et al., 1984), nausea persisted in
one subject for 10 days. However, all involved were completely recovered 15 days
later.
Effects on other cut-flowers
The presence of daffodils in a vase with other cut-flowers has a deleterious
effect on them (Barendse, 1974; van Doorn, 1998). This effect was very noticeable
with tulips, whose flower stems droop and wilt within a few days, as was
shown experimentally by Gugenhan (1970) who studied the effects of placing
narcissus and tulip in separate vases and together. Narcissus and tulip kept
separately remained normal, but within 6 days tulips placed with narcissus had
deteriorated. While the narcissus still looked healthy, the tulips had aged, with
mottling of the leaves and curvature and wilting of the flower stems. A similar
but lesser effect was seen if tulips were placed in water previously occupied by
narcissus, suggesting that the daffodil sap, rather than the actual flowers, was
harmful. This effect was noted by Sytsema and Barendse (1975) to vary between
cultivars, the sap of ‘Carlton’ being particularly aggressive. From a study with
different flower foods, Terfrüchte (1981) reported that one sort could prevent
this damage to tulip flowers. It would, however, seem advisable to confine all
cut-flowers of narcissus to their own vase and refrain from mixing them with
other species.
Blankenship and Richardson (1987) attempted to identify the component of
narcissus sap responsible for causing damage in tulips. Over a 2-year period they
studied the effects of ethylene, ethylene inhibitors and auxins, and concluded that
the major senescence effect of stem curvature was caused by auxins. Auxins have
been isolated both from the plant and from the water in which narcissus have been
placed, and may be released into the water to produce their deleterious effect on
flowers of other species. In their earlier study of narcissus auxins, Edelbluth and
Kaldewey (1976) had found that auxin-inhibitory activity occurred in diffusates of
stem segments, buds and flowers, and could be removed by washing to reveal
auxin activity. Since narciclasine is present in narcissus in considerable quantities
and is strongly inhibitory to cereal seedling growth (Ceriotti, 1967; Bi et al., 1998),
this could be the material interfering in the bioassays used to detect auxins. Van
Doorn (1998) later investigated the deleterious effects of narcissus mucilage on
cut-flowers of tulip and rose. Fractionating the narcissus mucilage, this author
suggested that the effect on roses was due to the sugar and polysaccharide fraction,
which resulted in increased bacterial growth and blocked water uptake, while
the effect on tulips was due to the toxicity of a fraction that contained several
alkaloids.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge the help of Allen Scrimshaw and family,
Roger Rosier and Ian Wort in the preparation of this work.