Latest news with #Sussexbonfire
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".
BBC News
12-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Daffodil hunt: The search for rare flowers lost from history
Rare British daffodils may be hiding in plain sight in gardens and parks and experts want to track them have drawn up a wanted list of long-lost varieties linked to local places, such as the vibrant "bonfire yellow" daffodil associated with bonfire nights in varieties could be lost if they're not found and cared for, said Gwen Hines of the plant conservation charity, Plant Heritage."There's the joy that they bring to all of us in the springtime ... and also, in the future, they might be important for medicines for science," she said. Believed to have been brought to Britain by the Romans, daffodils are a source of galantamine, a treatment for Alzheimer's much-loved plants have been bred for centuries and now come in a dazzling array of about 30,000 different shapes, sizes and daffodils are yellow but some are white, orange and gardening charity, the RHS, is asking for help in finding rare and missing daffodils that are feared lost to history and science. The Sussex Bonfire The Sussex bonfire is named after the famous bonfire night in the Sussex county town of daffodil is one of many bred by the local plant breeder, Noel Burr, but has not been seen for at least 20 is known for its very bright orange-yellow horticulturist Roger Parsons hopes it is still growing in a garden somewhere."Perhaps someone planted it in their garden and it still exists but our challenge is to find that person," he said."Finding this and other daffodils thought to be lost helps maintain those genes for future plant breeding." The Mrs R O Backhouse daffodil This daffodil is one of many bred by the plantswoman Sarah Backhouse. It was named for her by her husband after her death in 1921. The daffodil is unusual in being one of the first daffodils with a pinkish colour. It has a salmon-pink trumpet surrounded by ivory flowers. The daffodil is known to exist in national collections but its actual whereabouts are unknown. The Mrs William Copeland daffodil Daffodils were fashionable in late Victorian and Edwardian times, bred into different shapes and Fowler Copeland (1872 to 1953) is a particularly well-known daffodil breeder from this named this white, double-flowered daffodil after his wife. The RHS is also calling on the public to record where and when they see daffodils appearing this scientist Dr Kálmán Könyves has spent 15 years studying "these remarkably fascinating plants". He said mapping which daffodils grow where will help us find out how the plants are responding to the changing climate."With this we can get some data on whether the flowering time changes as our climate changes," he said.
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.'
