Look Out For Wild Daffodils in the Touraine Loire Valley

There is a big colony of Wild Daffodils Narcissus pseudonarcissus (Fr. Narcisse jaune) that flower reliably around this date in Chaumussay. They are easily visible from the greenway (Fr. voie verte) so there will be lots of people enjoying them as they pass. I was impressed to see that there is no sign of flowers being picked, so they are being left to be shared by everyone.

Wild Daffodils are the most abundant wild Narcissus species in Europe and they have dozens of vernacular names. The term 'jonquille' in French for this species was introduced for tourist promotion reasons in the Vosges, but it more properly applies to N. jonquilla, a different species with a southern (Mediterranean) distribution. Unfortunately the French media persist in using 'jonquille' when they mean the Narcisse jaune.

Wild Daffodils can form large colonies, growing in the forests and meadows, on grassy banks and roadsides. They are abundant in some areas, rare in others. Nevertheless they grow throughout France, up to about 2000 metres above sea level. The Vosges and Alsace are famous for their meadows covered in Wild Daffodils.

They are widely cultivated in gardens and the bulbs live for a long time if conditions are a bit damp. They are fully protected in the wild, or picking is regulated, in some areas of France. Garden varieties are usually hybrids, produced to give bigger flowers, more robust plants and a greater range of colours.

The plants contain a number of quite dangerous toxins. In bad cases, ingestion of the bulb can be fatal, and just sucking a stem can result in nausea and vomiting. The plants contain sharply pointed calcium oxalate crystals which irritate the digestive system and can cause skin rashes on contact. As a consequence they are not eaten by grazing stock. 

Since the leaves disappear as soon as seeds have set they don't pose a hazard if hay is cut in the summer from a meadow where they grow. The roots can form an important element of stabilising banks, slopes, ditches and streams.  

The perfume seems to have a narcotic effect on some people, but this has never been scientifically investigated.