We quote from "Horticulture” of July 1, 1934 
“MAKING THE WORD DAFFODIL POPULAR” 
Dear Sir — I am sure many were pleased with the heading of the article in 
a recent number of Horticulture, entitled “First Daffodil Show in Boston,” 
in that it is being established as a daffodil show, and not as a narcissus show. 
Apparently many technical botanists are still attempting to apply the word 
narcissus to the entire family and limit the use of the word daffodil to one or 
two members of the family. 
If there is historical support of the application of the word daffodil to all 
narcissi (for I believe it was Parkinson in 1629 who said “narcissus is the 
Latine name, daffodil the English of one and the same thing”), it would 
appear that the word daffodil is of English founding, since the word appears 
in no other language and came into more or less general use in England in 
the sixteenth century, when the poets, and others of the Elizabethan era used 
the words daffodil, daffadilly and daffadowndilly. 
While we may not overlook the fact that the modern daffodil received its 
development at the hands of some amateurs and professional growers in 
England in the past one hundred years, it is not to be overlooked that most 
of the books on the daffodil are by English authors and carry the name 
“daffodil” instead of narcissus. For example, an important work entitled 
“The Book of the Daffodil” by Rev. S. E. Bourne was published in 1903, 
the book entitled “Daffodils” by Rev. Joseph Jacobs was published in 1910 
and the book entitled “Daffodil Growing for Pleasure and Profit” by Albert 
E. Calvert was published in 1929. 
To bring the recognition of the word up to date, it is of extreme interest 
to note that the Royal Horticultural Society of England issues a yearbook 
entitled “Daffodil Year Book” and publishes regularly a “Classified List of 
Daffodil Names with Particulars of the Societies, Classification of Daffodils, 
and Arrangement for the Registration of Daffodil Names.” 
This would seem to be the world’s greatest authority on the subject, and 
I believe in not a single instance is the name narcissus to be found within the 
210 pages in the booklet of “Daffodil Names.” The last edition at hand is 
dated February, 1933, and lists over 7,000 names. Except in a few technical 
circles the statement of Parkinson, 300 years ago, is as true today as then 
that the name daffodil is the English name and the name narcissus the Latin 
name of one and the same thing. 
—M. Scott-Owen. 
South Woodstock, Vt. 
THE DAFFODIL 
The crocus to the tulip said: 
“For all her virgin gold 
The dainty daffodil is not 
“So innocent, I’m told. 
’Twas whispered to me by the fern, 
Who heard it from the lily, 
She once was wild as she could be, 
And known as daffydowndilly.” 
“She bore the name of jonquil too, 
And passed as asphodel, 
Narcissus has been one of her 
Aliases as well. 
And though she queens it royally 
When April suns are mellow 
Her fond admirers must admit 
The daffodil is yellow.” . 
Minna Irving. 
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