Flashback-Magical World (Part 11)

We next headed for the daffodils that grow beside the lake. We all sat down on the grass after taking the permission of the grass and asked the daffodils if the plants could tell them something about themselves.

The Daffodils together said that they all will not answer. Only their senior-most plant will give them

information. The senior-most daffodil plant raised its head that contained the daffodil flower and started to speak. (Detailed information is available in the previous chapters)

Daffodil's other name is Narcissus. It grows in the spring and is a perennial plant of the amaryllis family, called Amaryllidaceae. Daffodil has many common names including daffodil, daffadowndilly, narcissus, and jonquil are used to describe all or some members of the genus. It is called Nargis in the subcontinent. Narcissus has conspicuous flowers with six petal-like tepals surmounted by a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The flowers are generally white or yellow (also orange or pink in garden varieties), with either uniform or contrasting colored tepals and corona.

Narcissus was well known in ancient civilization, both medicinally and botanically. The genus is generally considered to have about ten sections with approximately 50 species. The number of species has varied, depending on how they are classified, due to the similarity between species and hybridization.

They are found in meadows and woods in southern Europe and North Africa with a center of diversity in the Western Mediterranean, particularly the Iberian peninsula. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalized widely and were introduced into the Far East prior to the tenth century. Narcissi tend to be long-lived bulbs, which propagate by division but are also insect-pollinated. Known pests, diseases and disorders include viruses, fungi, the larvae of flies, mites, and nematodes. Some Narcissus species have become extinct, while others are threatened by increasing urbanization and tourism.The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and the symbol of cancer charities in many countries. The appearance of the wildflowers in spring is associated with festivals in many places.

Like other members of their family, narcissi produce a number of different alkaloids, which provide some protection for the plant, but maybe poisonous if accidentally ingested. This property has been exploited for medicinal use in traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia.

The plants are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow flower stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, narrow, strap-shaped leaves arise from the bulb. The plant stem usually bears a solitary flower, but occasionally a cluster of flowers (umbel). The flowers of Narcissus are hermaphroditic (bisexual).

Alkaloids

Narcissus contains unique isoquinoline alkaloids. These are considered a protective adaptation and are utilized in the classification of species.

Fragrances

Fragrances are predominantly monoterpene isoprenoids, with a small number of benzenoids, although N. jonquilla has both equally represented.

History

The genus Narcissus was well known to the ancients. In Greek literature, Theophrastus and Dioscorides described N. poeticus, although the exact species mentioned in classical literature cannot be accurately established. Pliny the Elder later introduced the Latin form narcissus. These early writers were as much interested in the plant's possible medicinal properties as they were its botanical features and their accounts remained influential until at least the Renaissance.

Evolution

Within the Narcisseae, Narcissus (western Mediterranean) diverged from Sternbergia (Eurasia) some time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene eras, around 29.3–18.1 Ma. Later the genus divided into the two subgenera (Hermione and Narcissus) between 27.4–16.1 Ma. The divisions between the sections of Hermione then took place during the Miocene period 19.9–7.8 Ma. Narcissus appears to have arisen in the area of the Iberian peninsula, southern France and north-western Italy. Subgenus Hermione, in turn, arose in the southwestern Mediterranean and northwest Africa.

The derivation of the Latin narcissus is unknown but is frequently linked to the myth of Narcissus, who became so obsessed with his own reflection in the water that he drowned and the narcissus plant sprang from where he died. There is no evidence for the flower being named for the youth. Narcissus poeticus which grows in Greece has a fragrance that has been described as intoxicating. Pliny wrote that the plant was named for its fragrance (ναρκάω narkao, "I grow numb" ), not the 123456 name Narcissus was not uncommon for men in Roman times.

Distribution and habitat

Predominantly tropical or subtropical as a whole, Narcissus occurs primarily in the Mediterranean region, with a center of diversity in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). A few species extend the range into southern France, Italy, the Balkans (N. poeticus, N. serotinus, N. tazetta), and the Eastern Mediterranean (N. serotinus)including Israel (N. tazetta). The occurrence of N. tazetta in western and central Asia, China and Japan and N. pseudonarcissus in Great Britain, are considered introductions,

Habitats

Their native habitats are varied, with different elevations, bioclimatic areas. Found in open areas from low marshes to rocky hillsides, grassland, woods, riverbanks, and rocky crevices. They preference acidic soils, although some species will grow on limestone.

Conservation

Many of the smallest species have become extinct, requiring vigilance in the conservation of the wild species. Narcissi are increasingly under threat by over-collection and threats to their natural habitats by urban development and tourism. A number of species have been granted protected species status and protected areas (meadows) have been established such as the Negraşi Daffodil Meadow in Romania, or Kempley Daffodil Meadow in the UK. These areas often host daffodil festivals in the spring.

Cultivation was also documented in Britain, although contemporary accounts show it was well known as a favorite garden and wildflower long before that and was used in making garlands.

While Shakespeare's daffodil is the wild or true English daffodil (N. pseudonarcissus), many other species were introduced, some of which escaped and naturalized, particularly N. biflorus (a hybrid) in Devon and the west of England.

Traditional medicine

Despite the lethal potential of Narcissus alkaloids, they have been used for centuries as traditional medicines for a variety of complaints, including cancer.

Narcissus products have received a variety of other uses. Extracts of Narcissus have demonstrated a number of potentially useful biological properties including antiviral, prophage induction, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, insecticidal, cytotoxic, antitumor, antimitotic, antiplatelet, hypotensive, emetic, acetylcholine esterase inhibitory, antifertility, antinociceptive, chronotropic, pheromone, plant growth inhibitor, and allelopathic.