Daffodil, Narcissus
Narcissus pseudonarcissus/poeticus Many peple do not even suspect that this seemingly innocuous plant actually contains poisonous alkaloids! |
According to ancient Greek mythology, once there was a handsome slender lad called Narcissus. Many beautiful nymphs were in love with him but he was haughty and rejected their love. One day, he saw his face in the clear water of a mountain brook and fell so deeply in love with his own reflection that he couldnât leave that place any more. He died there and a beautiful flowerââthe flower of deathââgrew from the place where his head had dropped. Consequently, it was named after the self-enamored Narcissus.
The daffodil
is distributed mostly in the Mediterranean but has been cultivated as a
decorative plant for ages all over the world. |
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The number of the varieties has already reached 12,000. Most people are familiar only with the aesthetic value of the daffodil and are completely unaware of the fact that these wonderful blossomsâ yellow or white with a red brimâand the bulbs contain the poisonous alkaloids narcitine and narcicysteine. They have no application in modern medicine.
