Novice gardeners may have been non-plussed recently when shopping for daffodil bulbs. Despite the packages having brightly coloured illustrations of the well -known flower with spreading tepals and flaring trumpet, some folks were unsure enough to ask were there no daffodils as all they could see were Narcissus.
The Dutch growers have decided to merchandise Daffodils using the more internationally recognized and proper botanical name. Narcissus includes Jonquils and Paperwhites.
Daffodils are popular for a host of reasons; for their ease of culture, their bright cheerfulness in the spring garden and that the plant and its' bulb are distasteful to squirrels.
Towards the end of the Second World War the people of Holland faced the very real possibility of starving to death and were reduced to eating floral bulbs such as tulips. They knew better than to eat daffodils. It is good to know that we are at least as smart as squirrels. That narcissus have a certain toxocity is well known. Workers tasked to clean daffodil bulbs of their outer papery scales quite frequently develop a painful skin rash.
That livestock in occupied Holland were harmed by being fed with daffodil bulbs is at least plausible; but we do not eat like cattle, consuming a single item by the bushel. The more recent story from Suffolk, England saying that children were poisoned when a daffodil bulb was added to the soup during a cookery class, stinks to high heaven.
Since we apparently have to warn that food from the microwave and coffee from the drive-through is going to be VERY HOT, then the least we can do is to label narcissus bulbs as NOT A FOOD ITEM.
But then, some of our fellow earthlings might be so obtuse and take that to mean all other bulbs are edible. So help me!
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