Disclosed: The secret of the poetic narcissus

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Rodney Lay / RHS

The secrets of flowers, known as poetic narcotics, fell on science.

The genetic code for narcol chloroplast – the DNA responsible for photosynthesis – was first deployed.

Narcissus poeticus was one of the first narcissus grown and associated with the Greek legend of Narcissus.

In Greek mythology a flower was born bearing his name where he died.

Researchers from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the University of Reading have identified the genetic code of chloroplast – where energy from the sun's light is transformed into food with photosynthesis.

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Getty Images

Facts about the daffodils

• Stallions have long been considered one of the spring.

• They can be planted on borders and containers.

• The Latin name of the plant family is Narcissus

• Some species cross the game, and many horticultural crosses between species lead to a large number of colorful garden hybrids.

The research could solve the problem of how to ensure that orange bulbs planted in bulk came to the same color.

There are more than 1,500 different types of daffodils and their bulbs are all the same.

Gardeners are sometimes disappointed when the bulbs planted in the autumn arrive by the second spring next year.

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RHS / Tim Sandall

John David, head of horticultural taxonomy at RHS, said that DNA chloroplast is a good way to find a marker that is specific to a particular cultivar (a plant variety that was harvested by selective breeding).

"This is an exciting first step in discovering the daffodil variety at the site that is the best buy, but when you do not have to separate it," he said.

"With so many light bulbs that are supposed to be planted in the autumn, it's a huge industry and we hope that our work will avoid disappointment for plant multiplication experts and gardeners who often look for their tried and tested."

The study was published in Mitochondrial DNA Part B.

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