Daffodils (Narcissus)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

By William Wordsworth

As it is said by William Wordsworth daffodils can really dance. With charming yellow look daffodils won the heart of so many poets and writers. Daffodils have six yellow petals and a circular corona surrounding the filaments with pollen.

Daffodils stem are soft and leaves are thin. Seeds of daffodil are black, round and swollen with a hard coat. The three outer segments are sepals, and the three inner segments are petals.

Daffodils and all of their species contain alkaloid poison lycorine. The seed of daffodils (bulbs) which looks like mostly onions and leaves contain poison. Most of the time bulbs are mixed up with onions and can’t be differentiated. So we have to be careful handling the bulbs and leaves of daffodils.

Daffodils can also be used as medicine. In traditional Japanese medicine named Kampo, daffodils roots and white flour paste is used to treat wounds.

Daffodils are also called narcissus. The ancient Greeks believed that daffodil plants are originated from the vain youth, Narcissus.

The Narcissus or daffodil is a symbol of vanity in the west and a symbol of wealth and good fortune in the east.

Daffodils usually bloom in spring but some hybrids can bloom also in autumn. In ancient China, a legend about this flower and a poor but good man holds this flower brought him many cups of gold and wealth. As daffodils bloom in every spring, it has become a symbol of Chinese New Year.

The Daffodil is the national flower of Wales. On Saint David’s day they wear a daffodil.

Daffodils may be of different colors. But yellow is the most prominent one. They can also be available in white or whitish, green, pink, orange or red. Their corona color may be different from color of petals.