Daffodil Facts and Snippets

•  Narcissus is derived from the Greek word for “to benumb” in reference to the narcotic properties of the plant.
 Currently Daffodils are being grown for Galanthine, a property being investigated for its benefits on Alzheimers.
• Poultry farmers believe daffodil flowers will stop hens from laying and they are banned from their homes.
 Prince Charles receives one daffodil annually for the unattended land on the Isles of Scilly.
• The French novelist Colette called Daffodils “Jeannettes”
 Geminis are reputed to enjoy the daffodils cheerfulness  and Piceans appreciate the white narcissis scented delicacy.
• Feng Shui adherents believe flowers forced into bloom at New Year bring good luck for the remaining 12 months of the year.
 Daffodil sap is toxic to other flowers. Do not mix with other flowers if possible. Soak daffodils on their own for 12 hours prior to using in mixed arrangements and do not recut stems after soaking.
• The Daffodil joined the leek as a National symbol of Wales when King George V
  wore one on his investiture as Prince of Wales in Caernarvon in 1911. It is  worn on 1st March St David’s day
• “DAFFODIL” is a web-based system developed by the Institute of Public Care (IPC) for the Welsh Government.  The system pulls together in one place the information you need to plan care services in a local area. 
• The Daffodil is the symbol of Marie Curie cancer care in the UK and also cancer care in many countries.
•  In the early nineteenth century the genus Narcissus was split into sixteen separate genera each named after a mythical character such as Ajax and Ganymede.
• The Arabs used the juice of the wild daffodil N pseudonarcissus as a cure for baldness
• High born ladies in medieval times used the yellow flower dye to tint their hair and eyebrows.
• The daffodil was one of 17 flowers on Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding cake.
 As well as representing Wales it also symbolized New Beginnings.