Narcissus

Naturalized Narcissus under Oregon White Oaks

As a youngster in western Oregon I did not pay much attention to the flora around me. But I do remember the wonderful, colorful daffodils coming up in spring, like little flags waving in celebration. We moved away when I was six, to a totally different climate and geography where there were no spring bulbs. It was not until 25 years later when we visited Oregon at the height of the bloom that I realized what I missed. It rang up a happy childhood memory, kind of like the big ice cream cones my Grandmother used to give us!

Landscaped Daffodil Island

The daffodil name has come to mean one of about 50 species in the Narcissus genus. None are native to the Northwest, and as you can imagine, have been extensively hybridized over the years. Linnaeus first described Narcissus as a genus in 1753, but the ancient Greeks were familiar with the plant as well. And if you remember your Greek mythology, you'll know that Narcissus was a good looking fellow who was so taken with his reflection in a pond that he was unable to save himself from the waters.

That story does have some truth in that all members of the genus are highly toxic and can be poisonous to humans and animals alike. This would explain why the deer and gophers leave them alone around our place!

     

Small daffodils or large cat?

Here in our corner of the world, there are some "wild daffodils" that have become naturalized. These are Narcissus pseudonarcissus and look similar to many of the hybridized products you can purchase at the local garden shop. They are native to western Europe but are naturalized all over the northern hemisphere. You've probably seen them growing in natural fields, along country roads, or on hillsides.

All Narcissus have six petals and a trumpet!

Although we love "daffodils" in general and have about a dozen different varieties growing around our property, my favorite is the Narcissus poeticus, sometimes called Poet's Daffodil or Pheasant's Eye. It is native to central Europe. This daffodil is prized for its oil, which is used in high end perfumes. The plants are cultivated in France and the Netherlands for that purpose.

Poet's Daffodil

As you can imagine, growing and selling daffodils is big business around the world. Thousands of cultivars have been developed for our backyard gardens. I suppose no one is going to get tired of celebrating the end of winter, so new varieties of these bulbs will continue! There are numerous daffodil festivals in our area (Amity, Junction City, Pulyallup) and the American Daffodil Society has reams of information about all things Narcissus. 

In closing, I could not find a clear history of the daffodil name as it applies to Narcissus. Perhaps because the name Narcissus has some baggage (the Greek legend and the derived narcissism word), a different common name was chosen. Daffodil was also a name given to girls in the 1800's but fell out of favor due to the ease of shortening it to "Daffy." 

Links:

Narcissus Wiki Page

American Daffodil Society Website

Puyallup Daffodil Festival

A Nod to Our Natives

If you live here in western Oregon, you already know this: our early spring has us nature lovers in a buzz! Not only are we enjoying a banner year for daffodils and other early garden blooms, but our native plants are also popping out left and right - I mentioned a couple of these in my last post and want to share a few more in this one. By the end of this month, so many natives will be blooming that I won't be able to keep up. But not to worry, my goal here is not to capture every possible bloom, but to relate the enjoyment of the journey and to gain some knowledge in the process!

It is also gratifying to know we live in a place where so many people appreciate the value and importance of native plants, their habitats, and are willing to act for their protection. I won't hop onto my planter box here, but in that vein, if you are in a planting mood, there are many resources available for choosing the best natives for your location.

There are a number of groups that host native plant shows, festivals, and sales in the coming months. The Native Plant Society of Oregon has a good list of these events on their website, under Wildflower Shows. Locally, Jackson Bottom Wetlands has a native plant sale coming up on April 18th. Portland Audubon has their sale on April 11 and 12 along with experts to answer any questions.

On to the photos now! These spring beauties are all growing in our local parks and/or natural areas, so you'll probably spot them as quickly as we did.

One of my favorite oddly named plants is small (4 - 8 in. high), has a wonderful subtle purple color, and can easily be missed if you are not looking for it: Oaks Toothwart (Cardamine nuttallii var. nuttallii). Lewis & Clark found it growing along the Sandy River on April 1, 1806. It's one of 44 species named after Thomas Nuttall, a U.K. botanist who lived in the U.S. from 1808-1841.

Oaks Toothwart - Cooper Mountain Nature Park - 3/05/2015

For sheer mass, color, and odor, the venerable Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) is a local champion! Standing up to a foot tall, these bog dwellers resemble pop art periscopes - native tribes used the large leaves as a kind of wax paper for lining baskets, etc.   

Bog at Ecola State Park - 3/06/2015. Leaves are about a foot
 tall on these, but will get larger.

Skunk Cabbage Flower

Another early blooming highlight showing its stuff right now is the flamboyant Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum). This tall shrub is covered with bright red cluster blossoms and is somewhat of a celebrity. David Douglas sent seeds back to London where the plants grew and became an instant hit. It is said that The Royal Horticultural Society of London recouped its investment in his expedition from this plant introduction alone!

Red Flowering Currant - Oregon
 Garden - 3/09/2015

We found several Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus) blooming at the coast, near a fresh water creek in Ecola State Park (3/06/2015). This was the first time we've seen these in bloom so we were struck by the large, softball sized flower clusters. These bloom later at higher elevations as well.

 

And last but not least, any school child in western Oregon can readily identify this forest favorite: Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum). With its three big leaves and three brilliant white flower petals, it jumps out from the semi-shady tree cover as if to say "look at me." The petals gradually fade to purple, adding to the allure of this noteworthy species.

At Noble Woods Park - 3/12/2015

At Noble Woods Park - 3/12/2015. Sword ferns in background.

Apetala1 is Active!

With all the good weather we had in February it would be hard not to notice the Crocus, Daffodils, Vinca, and Hellebores in full bloom all over the area. These are blooming earlier than usual due to our on-going warm and dry period. Flowering Plum trees, Star Magnolias and several varieties of Camellias are adding their bright colors as well.

So how do these flowers know that it is time to bloom? We think the weather, length of day, soil temperature, and other factors are involved. But it was not until 2005 that botanists learned that the blooming process is actually controlled by the plant's DNA. A lone master gene called Apetala1 triggers the reproductive cycle of the plant, thereby starting the bloom process.

Aptala1 generates the proteins that in turn signal over 1000 other genes that are involved in the flowering process. The Apetala1 gene is essentially a bio-computer that gathers data from many other genes about external conditions and then executes a "bloom" command to get things going. Who knew it was this complicated? I certainly did not.

Meanwhile, in the wildflower world, we've noticed Indian Plum, Willows, Bittercress, Speedwell, Red Dead Nettle, and Oregon Grape showing their stuff. Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) is one of our native early bloomers in the area. Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) is not native but is widely growing around the valley. Early willows at Jackson Bottom are opening their catkins and releasing pollen as well.

Even with the relatively warm days, the nights are still cold, so I don't expect the wildflowers to get too far ahead of the game. However, our snow pack numbers are very low for this stage of winter. Local meteorologists are saying the Mt. Hood area snow pack is a mere 9% of average this week. One possible upside to the lack of snow in the mountains is that the good hiking trails should be open sooner this year. We shall see. Here's a quick rundown of what we saw in the past week.

Indian Plum at Jackson Bottom: also called Osoberry, it produces small purple fruits in summer which was/is consumed by many native peoples and birds alike.

     

Hooker's Willow at Jackson Bottom: there are several dozen willows that can be found in Oregon and this is one of the early bloomers.

     

Hairy Bittercress in our yard: The leaf structure on these remind me of a snowflake, due to their symmetrical growth. The leaves have a peppery flavor and can be added to salad. The flowers are on a stalk about 3 inches above the leaves. The flower cluster shown below is about 1 cm wide.

     

Birdseye Speedwell (Veronica persica) in our driveway: First noted in the U.K. in 1825 this is one of hundreds of species in Veronica. The plant is now naturalized throughout the U.S. It's another tiny bloom that is hard to spot unless you get down close to the ground - like a bird!

Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium): I've posted on this native before, but of interest in this photo is the dark red holly-like leaves. It's common for Oregon Grape leaves to turn red in winter and then back to dark green in spring. Apparently at least part of this plant knows it is still winter!

Captured on 2/23/2015

Red Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum): one of my favorites, because of its odd name and because the tiny flowers resemble orchids. The weedy, non-native has a long history of use as an astringent and diuretic among others.

Roadside Red Dead Nettle among Vinca, Storksbill,
and Cleavers: a weed forest in the making!

So to wrap up this time, let's hope for continued warm, dry weather. I'll be dusting off my other cameras and macro lens soon, ready for another season of exploring the natural world!