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Fun Historical Daffodil Facts

© Clay Higgins

Daffodil is the English name for the Latin or botanical name, Narcissus . Not only was Thomas Jefferson's walk lined with daffodils, Narcissus added to ancient gardens since the earliest days of civilization. Narcissus is included in the earliest written works of the Greeks and Arabs.

Narcissus is originally from the European Iberian peninsula of Portugal and Spain, Northern Africa and the Middle East. It was used in trade and in homes long before the introduction of spring flowers to renaissance era Holland.

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DAFFODIL and NARCISSUS FACTS*:

• The botanical name, Narcissus, is derived from the Greek word narke, to benumb. (the "e" in narke has a waivy line over it that my computer will not duplicate)

• The ancient Greeks used the narcissus as a symbol of death, because they (daffodils) gave off an evil emanation, producing dullness, madness and death.

• The center of the daffodil cup is said to contain the tears of Narcissus, who in Greek legend fell in love with his image reflected in a pool of clear water, and pined his life away.

• Daffodils were first written about by the Greek writer Theophrastus around 300BC in his 'Enquiry into Plants'.

• Mohammed (c.570-632AD) wrote, "He that has two cakes of bread, let him sell one of them for some flowers of the Narcissus, for bread is food for the body, but Narcissus is food of the soul."

• In 1629, Parkinson called gardeners ignorant who called some daffodils narcissus, as "we" all know that the Latin Narcissus, is Daffodil in English.

  Parkinson divided daffodils into Narcissus, and named them 'true daffodils', and Narcissus pseudonarcissus which he called 'bastard daffodils'. Narcissus pseudonarcissus, the bastard daffodil, was so called because the petals were longer than the cup. At that time, the true daffodils were thought to be "flat faced," or short cupped such as the N. poeticus which was popular at the time.

• The old name for daffodil was 'Affodyle'. The name Affodyle was believed to originate with the Old English 'Affo dyle', meaning "that which cometh early." The "D" in daffodil is believed to be derived from dropping the word "bastard", leaving only the D in polite company, therefore, when spoken it was D Affodyle, which became daffodil.

• Elizabethean era names for daffodils were Daffodilly, Daffodowndill and Primrose Peereless.

• Did you know that the medieval Arabs used juice of the wild daffodil, N. pseudonarcissus as a cure for baldness?

• John Bartram, whose home was on the Schuykill River near Philadelphia maintained a daffodil collection on his 6 acre farm in the 1730s. This is the earliest recollection of American grown daffodils.

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