Latest news with #MrsROBackhouse
BBC News
12-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Can you help track down the rare British daffodils?
If we started talking about the Mrs R O Backhouse and Sussex bonfire, would you know what we are talking about?These are actually super rare varieties of are on a list of varieties which are so unusual that experts are worried they could be lost forever unless they are found and looked Hines, who is from the plant conservation charity Plant Heritage, said not only do daffs bring us joy in the springtime, but also in the future "they might be important for medicines for science". Daffodils are the national flower of Wales and are often worn by people on St David's of the flowers are yellow, but they can also be white, orange and even are thought to have been initially brought to Britain by the Romans and there is now around 27,000 different Royal Horticultural Society - or RHS - is asking for help in finding some of the rare and missing varieties that they are worried have been lost to history and science. The charity is asking people to make a note of when and where they see the flowers this spring and tell Kálmán Könyves is one of the scientists working for the RHS, he says mapping out where they grow could help them to find out how they are responding to the changing of the rare varieties like the Sussex bonfire haven't been seen for at least 20 like Roger Parsons hope it is still growing in a garden somewhere, he says finding it could help "maintain those genes for future plant breeding".
The Guardian
12-02-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Britons urged to join hunt for rare daffodil breeds amid extinction fears
Britons have been asked to hunt for rare pink, white and 'bonfire yellow' daffodils in order to save threatened varieties from extinction. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which is running the daffodil count, is hoping to build a map of the spring blooms. It is asking people to log where daffodils are flowering in their area along with basic information such as colour, type and height. It is hoped the data will help RHS scientists understand environmental influences on the plant, as well as revealing rare varieties at risk of being lost for ever. There are three varieties of daffodil in particular the plant charity has asked the public to look out for. These include the Mrs RO Backhouse, which was one of the first pink daffodils to be bred, in 1923, with a solid coral-pink trumpet and ivory flowers. It is known to exist in national collections but its whereabouts beyond that is a mystery. Scientists are also trying to find the Mrs William Copeland – a white, double-flowered daffodil, which has not been for sale in recent years but is known to have been given to a direct descendant of its original UK breeder by an American grower in the early 2000s. The charity is also looking for the Sussex Bonfire – a double-flowered yellow and orange breed that has not been seen since 1998. Gwen Hines, the CEO of the charity Plant Heritage, said: 'Springtime daffodils are abundant, but rare varieties could be lost from our gardens and roadsides if they're not found and cared for. While six national plant collections do protect some, many others aren't yet safeguarded, which is why we encourage everyone to look for rare varieties this spring.' It is hoped that finding these unusual flowers will help aid their survival and allow scientists to preserve their genetic material, which could be valuable for future breeding of daffodils. It is important to have varied varieties of flowers as the climate changes and some are found to be more resilient to extreme weather than others. All information and images of daffodils thought to be the above varieties should be submitted via the RHS website. Although now ubiquitous across the UK and a sign of spring, daffodils originated in the Iberian peninsula and north Africa. They were originally grown for medicinal use, but by the 1600s they began to be noticed for their cheerful blooms and grown for aesthetic purposes. There was a daffodil boom in Britain in the 1800s and enthusiasts hybridised them to create new garden daffodil forms and colours. Now, the UK grows 90% of the world's cut flower daffodils. Dr Kálmán Könyves, principal scientist in the cultivated plant diversity team at the RHS, said: 'Daffodils have come to mark the arrival of spring and are celebrated for their welcome burst of colour in gardens, parks and roadsides. But there's more to this ubiquitous yellow flower than meets the eye, with 31,000 known varieties available in green, pink and red. Understanding where they can be found will help us in preserving this diversity for the future.'
Sky News
12-02-2025
- General
- Sky News
Daffodil hunt launched by Royal Horticultural Society as flower lovers urged to look out for rare varieties
Flower lovers are being urged to help map daffodils across the UK - and look out for rare pink, white and "bonfire" yellow varieties. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is launching a "daffodil diaries" project in commemoration of 100 years since the charity helped save the flower. One of its scientists, James Kirkham Ramsbottom, was awarded the Barr Memorial in 1924 for developing a hot water treatment against eelworms - credited with saving the daffodil. The project runs from 12 February to Saint David's Day on 1 March, when the flowers are worn to mark the patron saint of Wales. Businesses and gardeners are being asked to log where daffodils are blooming, along with basic information such as colour, type and height. RHS scientists will then use the information from the mapping project to understand the environmental influences on the popular spring plant, its spread, and what buyers prefer. In particular, the charity is asking people to look for three varieties of daffodils that are at risk or thought to be extinct, including: • Mrs R O Backhouse, one of the first pink daffodils, which has a solid coral pink trumpet and ivory flowers • Mrs William Copeland - a white double-flowered daffodil which has not been on sale in recent years • The Sussex bonfire, a double-flowered yellow and orange daffodil, which has never been located The RHS said finding rarer daffodils can help better understand gardening heritage in the UK, aid the survival of the varieties, and even ensure the preservation of genetic material to help breed the flowers in the future. Dr Kalman Konyves, daffodil expert with the RHS, said: "Daffodils have come to mark the arrival of spring and are celebrated for their welcome burst of colour in gardens, parks and roadsides. "But there's more to this ubiquitous yellow flower than meets the eye, with 31,000 known varieties available in green, pink and red. "Understanding where they can be found will help us in preserving this diversity for the future." Gwen Hines, chief executive of plant conservation charity Plant Heritage, which helped select which rare cultivars to search for, added: "Springtime daffodils are abundant, but rare varieties could be lost from our gardens and roadsides if they're not found and cared for.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Public urged to help map daffodils and hunt for rare varieties this spring
People are being urged to help map the UK's daffodils and look out for rare pink, white and 'bonfire' yellow varieties, as spring begins to bloom. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is launching a 'daffodil diaries' project, as it marks 100 years since the charity's science helped save the daffodil, asking industry and gardeners to log where the flower is blooming in the area alongside basic information such as colour, type and height. Scientists at the RHS will use the information from the mapping project to understand the environmental influences on the popular spring plant, its spread, and what buyers prefer. The horticultural charity is also asking people to join the hunt for three daffodil varieties which are at risk, or even thought to be extinct, saying the search will help better understand the UK's gardening heritage and aid their survival. It could even ensure the preservation of genetic material that could be valuable for breeding daffodils for the future as the climate changes, the RHS said. The three rare varieties people are being asked to look out for are: – Mrs R O Backhouse, one of the first pink daffodils, which has a solid coral pink trumpet and ivory flowers and is thought to have been bred by leading female hybridist Sara Backhouse and named by her husband after her death in 1921. It is known to exist in national collections, but not beyond, with the majority of reported discoveries actually Salome whose yellow trumpet changes to peach. – Mrs William Copeland – a white double-flowered daffodil named after the wife of breeder WFM Copeland, which has not been on sale in recent years, but was known to have been gifted to a direct descendant via an American grower in the early 2000s; – Sussex bonfire – a double-flowered yellow and orange daffodil bred by amateur breeder Noel Burr who registered 58 new cultivars of daffodils, but this bloom has never been located. Daffodils, which are synonymous with the arrival of spring and worn to mark St David's Day, patron saint of Wales, on March 1, originated in the Iberian peninsula and North Africa. Originally grown to treat a range of ailments, by the 1600s daffodils were recorded as being grown for their beautiful blooms, and from the early 1800s they became hugely popular in Britain and being deliberately bred to create new garden varieties, the RHS said. The daffodil diaries project, which runs from February 12 to March 4, comes as the RHS marks a century since its scientist James Kirkham Ramsbottom was honoured for developing a hot water treatment against eelworms which is credited with saving the daffodil. It remains a standard precaution for bulb production today, the horticultural experts said. The RHS also holds the register of known daffodil cultivars bred around the world. Dr Kalman Konyves, daffodil expert with the RHS, said: 'Daffodils have come to mark the arrival of spring and are celebrated for their welcome burst of colour in gardens, parks and roadsides. 'But there's more to this ubiquitous yellow flower than meets the eye, with 31,000 known varieties available in green, pink and red. 'Understanding where they can be found will help us in preserving this diversity for the future.' Gwen Hines, chief executive of plant conservation charity Plant Heritage, which helped select which rare cultivars to search for, said: 'Springtime daffodils are abundant, but rare varieties could be lost from our gardens and roadsides if they're not found and cared for. 'While six national plant collections do protect some, many others aren't yet safeguarded, which is why we encourage everyone to look for rare varieties this spring.'
