March Birth Flower: Daffodil

Daffodil

Meaning: Some argue that because the daffodil often pokes up alone through patches of remaining snow it is the ‘chivalrous’ flower because it stands by itself, respectfully awaiting the coming of the other Spring flowers. Good fortune and renewal are also associated with the daffodil.

Name Origin: In old English, the Daffodil was called ‘affo dyle,’ meaning ‘early arrival.’

History: Though many cultures associated the daffodil with good fortune (probably because it was one of the first blooms of Spring), presenting a single daffodil bloom to someone was said to bring them great misfortune! (Don’t know the reasoning there!) Similarly, the Medieval Europeans believed that if your gaze caused the head of a daffodil to droop, it was an omen of impending death. Arabian history used the flower as an aphrodisiac and a cure for baldness.

Daffodils belong to the genus narcissus, alongside jonquils and paperwhites. For those at home confused, an easy way to think about them is that they are flowers in the same family, but, just as siblings of the same family don’t look exactly alike, neither do these flowers; they grow in different sizes and colors and patterns. For example, paperwhites look like miniature daffodils but grow bunched on one stem. They are often associated with the holidays, hence being December’s birth flower. (For more history on the origin story of narcissus blooms, see December’s Birth Flower post!)

Though the daffodil is native to the Mediterranean and were cultivated by the Greeks and Romans, they supposedly abandoned them, and daffodils then grew wild until 1629 when the English became enamored of them and decided to cultivate them again.

The daffodil has been used as an herbal remedy in many cultures, but used very carefully, since too much of the daffodil/narcissus plant is poisonous. It is known for causing vomiting in overdoses.

Fun Facts:

· Some call the Daffodil the “Lent Lily,” because it blooms in the middle of the liturgical season of Lent.

· The daffodil is the flower for the 10th wedding anniversary.

· The Daffodil is the national flower of Wales.

· Old lore says that pointing a finger at a daffodil bud will prevent it from blooming!

· Daffodils are known for their early arrival into Spring, so accordingly Shakespeare once wrote, “the sweet o’ the year when daffodils begin to peer…”

· Supposedly, it is unlucky to take a daffodil into a hen house. (Oh how I wish I knew the reasoning on that one!)

· Spain is home to the largest variety of species of the daffodil