Hi to all daffnetters,
My first posting for the new year .Hope the lifting ,grading etc is going wellfor all the southern growers and the anticipation [ and the bulbs ] isrising for our northern members. The first few blooms we have seen are a welcome view of hopefully many to follow.
Today 26 January is the first day of the Chinese New Year.
I have N Z chinese neighbours and very close friends for over 30 years — they have become keen daffodil fans after that long tolerating me.
I printed out the link from Will DeWees on Chinese Sacred Lily and over a delightful Chinese meal [ I,m pretty smart with chopsticks] ,
quite a few questions arose that I could,nt answer
Your help is requested , please.
Daffseek lists C S L as subspecies tazetta lacticolor
Where is the species naturally found — probably Europe or North Africa.
Is it accepted that it was taken to asia by Marco Polo — can this be verified by wriings etc.?
IS there a large variation in the forms found in different locations on the Silk Road ?
Have modern scientific means [possibly D N A tests ] concluded that the Asian forms and the Western forms are the same ? I
Is it at all possible that the Asian form was an original that was taken to Europe , again over the Silk Road highways ?
Enough questions for one evening..–
My neighbours tell me that small presentation packs of C S L sell very well as New year gift in Hong Kong — also quite expensive.
They are probably naturally openning about now in Hong Kong and southern China — will be much later in the north of such a hugh country.
Cheers John Mclennan
Oh! How lovely! Perfect for a cold, snowy day. Thanks for sharing.
Alice ().
> Dear John,
>
> The CSL was probably brought to China by Portuguese merchants via the sea.
>
> Many years ago (in the’80s), after a visit to China, I included in the ADS
> journal a story about Chinese painters in a southern province who painted
> for me several sheets in watercolours and included a poem about this
> Narcissus which every child in China had to learn by heart.
> http://www.amo-bulbi.it/tav_Narciso_cinese.htm
> The flower is much loved by the Chinese.
> Best regards.
> Henry (Rome)
>