Nessun oggetto

Hello,

Thanks for the comments on Christian’s picture from Morocco.
Yesterday he returned from his trip, so I have some more information:
The shot was taken of a solitary daffodil, clearly growing spontaneously from seed, near the ruins. In that zone (near Fès), Narcissus papyraceus is very abundant, growing in long rows along the properties of the farmers, where it is not disturbed by agricultural practices.
This is exactly the same situation as in the South of Italy.
I attach a photo, taken by my friend Martina Prihodova in Apulia. Here they grow along the borders of olive groves.
Daffodils were of course present in the Mediterranean long before humans could interfere with their geographic distribution and, Morocco and Northern Africa in general being considered the cradle of many Amaryllidaceae, it does not seem surprising that N. papyraceus should be growing there today and must have been present in the time of the Ancient Romans 2000 years ago.
Christian tells me that it is now also much appreciated as a cut flower and widely sold, for example at the market of Casablanca.
In my garden, near Rome, tazetta cultivars and species have been in flower since many weeks. Now, the first flower to open in the new year, is this N. tazetta ‘Italicus’: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29675262@N04/6695529111/.

Kind regards

Henry