Chapter 85 - The Daffodils Speak (Part 1)

North America – Lake Michigan-Huron, which is hydrologically a single lake. However, lakes Huron and Michigan are usually considered separate lakes, in which case Lake Superior would be the largest.

South America – Lake Titicaca, which is also the highest navigable body of water on Earth at 3,812 meters (12,507 ft) above sea level. The much larger Lake Maracaibo is much older but perceived by some to no longer be genuinely a lake for multiple reasons.

"Now, I need to rest as I have given you ample information about lakes," said the Lake. "You have internet available in your country so you can check up the information available there." "Most of the information I have quoted here is available in Wikipedia and other websites."

"Thank you, That was a long and all-encompassing lecture," replied Tina. "If we need more information then, as per your advice, we will search the internet."

"Is there anything that you may want to ask me?" the Lake inquired.

"No, thank you, we have received a lot of information," said Zoya. "Anyone would think that we were doing Ph.D. in Lakes."

"Aarvin, I think we need to move on and talk to the daffodils. I wonder if they will reply?" said Chris.

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"Let's sit on the grass next to the daffodils that grow beside the lake," said Chris. "We can then ask them to tell us something about themselves.

They 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.

"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. The genus arose some time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The exact origin of the name Narcissus is unknown, but it is often linked to a Greek word for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the youth of that name who fell in love with his own reflection. The English word "daffodil" appears to be derived from "asphodel", with which it was commonly compared."

"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."

"Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the earliest times but became increasingly popular in Europe after the 16th century and by the late 19th century were an important commercial crop centered primarily in the Netherlands. Today narcissi are popular as cut flowers and as ornamental plants in private and public gardens."

" The long history of breeding has resulted in thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are classified into divisions, covering a wide range of shapes and colors. 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. Long celebrated in art and literature, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in different cultures, ranging from death to good fortune, and as symbols of spring. 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."

"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, which are usually conspicuous and white or yellow, sometimes both or rarely green, consist of a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral tube above the ovary, then an outer ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disc to conical shaped corona. The flowers may hang down (pendant), or be erect. There are six pollen-bearing stamens surrounding a central style. The ovary is inferior (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The fruit consists of a dry capsule that splits (dehisces) releasing numerous black seeds."

"The bulb lies dormant after the leaves and flower stem die and has contractile roots that pull it down further into the soil. The flower stem and leaves form in the bulb and emerge in the following season. Most species are dormant from summer to late winter, flowering in the spring, though a few species are autumn flowering."

"Once the leaves die back in summer, the roots also wither. After some years, the roots shorten pulling the bulbs deeper into the ground (contractile roots). The bulbs develop from the inside, pushing the older layers outwards which become brown and dry, forming an outer shell, the tunic or skin. Up to 60 layers have been counted in some wild species. While the plant appears dormant above the ground the flower stalk which will start to grow in the following spring, develops within the bulb surrounded by two to three deciduous leaves and their sheaths. The flower stem lies in the axil of the second true leaf."