Chapter 85
South America – Lake t.i.ticaca, which is also the highest navigable body of water on Earth at 3,812 metres (12,507 ft) above sea level. The much larger Lake Maracaibo is much older, but perceived by some to no longer be genuinely a lake for multiple reasons.
"Now, I need to rest as I have given you ample information about lakes," said the Lake. "You have internet available in your country so you can check up the information available there." "Most of the information I have quoted here is available in Wikipedia and other websites."
"Thank you, That was a long and all encompa.s.sing lecture," replied Tina. "If we need more information then, as per your advice, we will search the internet."
"Is there anything that you may want to ask me?" the Lake inquired.
"No, thank you, we have received a lot of information," said Zoya. "Anyone would think that we were doing PHD in Lakes."
"Aarvin, I think we need to move on and talk to the daffodils. I wonder if they will reply?" said Chris.
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"Lets sit on the gra.s.s next to the daffodils that grow besides the lake," said Chris. "We can then ask them to tell us something about themselves.
They all sat down on the gra.s.s after taking primmission of the gra.s.s and asked the daffodils if the plants could tell them something about themselves.
The Daffodils together said that they all will not answer. Only their senior most plant will give them information.
The senior most daffodil plant raised its head that contained the daffodil flower and started to speak.
"Daffodil's other name is Narcissus. It grows in the spring and is a perennial plants of the amaryllis family, called Amaryllidaceae. Daffodil has many common names including daffodil, daffadowndilly, narcissus and jonquil are used to describe all or some members of the genus. It is called Nargis in the subcontinent."
"Narcissus has conspicuous flowers with six petal-like tepals surmounted by a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The flowers are generally white or yellow (also orange or pink in garden varieties), with either uniform or contrasting coloured tepals and corona."
"Narcissus were well known in ancient civilisation, both medicinally and botanically. The genus is generally considered to have about ten sections with approximately 50 species. The number of species has varied, depending on how they are cla.s.sified, due to similarity between species and hybridisation. The genus arose some time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The exact origin of the name Narcissus is unknown, but it is often linked to
"They are found in meadows and woods in southern Europe and North Africa with a centre of diversity in the Western Mediterranean, particularly the Iberian peninsula. Both wild and cultivated plants have naturalised widely, and were introduced into the Far East prior to the tenth century. Narcissi tend to be long-lived bulbs, which propagate by division, but are also insect-pollinated. Known pests, diseases and disorders include viruses, fungi, the larvae of flies, mites and nematodes. Some Narcissus species have become extinct, while others are threatened by increasing urbanisation and tourism."
"Historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the earliest times, but became increasingly popular in Europe after the 16th century and by the late 19th century were an important commercial crop centred primarily in the Netherlands. Today narcissi are popular as cut flowers and as ornamental plants in private and public gardens."
" The long history of breeding has resulted in thousands of different cultivars. For horticultural purposes, narcissi are cla.s.sified into divisions, covering a wide range of shapes and colours. Like other members of their family, narcissi produce a number of different alkaloids, which provide some protection for the plant, but may be poisonous if accidentally ingested. This property has been exploited for medicinal use in traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Long celebrated in art and literature, narcissi are a.s.sociated with a number of themes in different cultures, ranging from death to good fortune, and as symbols of spring. The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and the symbol of cancer charities in many countries. The appearance of the wild flowers in spring is a.s.sociated with festivals in many places."
"The plants are scapose, having a single central leafless hollow flower stem (scape). Several green or blue-green, narrow, strap-shaped leaves arise from the bulb. The plant stem usually bears a solitary flower, but occasionally a cl.u.s.ter of flowers (umbel). The flowers, which are usually conspicuous and white or yellow, sometimes both or rarely green, consist of a perianth of three parts. Closest to the stem (proximal) is a floral tube above the ovary, then an outer ring composed of six tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals), and a central disc to conical shaped corona. The flowers may hang down (pendent), or be erect. There are six pollen bearing stamens surrounding a central style. The ovary is inferior (below the floral parts) consisting of three chambers (trilocular). The fruit consists of a dry capsule that splits (dehisces) releasing numerous black seeds."
"The bulb lies dormant after the leaves and flower stem die and has contractile roots that pull it down further into the soil. The flower stem and leaves form in the bulb, to emerge the following season. Most species are dormant from summer to late winter, flowering in the spring, though a few species are autumn flowering."
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"Once the leaves die back in summer, the roots also wither. After some years, the roots shorten pulling the bulbs deeper into the ground (contractile roots). The bulbs develop from the inside, pus.h.i.+ng the older layers outwards which become brown and dry, forming an outer sh.e.l.l, the tunic or skin. Up to 60 layers have been counted in some wild species. While the plant appears dormant above the ground the flower stalk which will start to grow in the following spring, develops within the bulb surrounded by two to three deciduous leaves and their sheaths. The flower stem lies in the axil of the second true leaf."
"The flowers of Narcissus are hermaphroditic (bis.e.xual), have three parts (tripart.i.te), and are sometimes fragrant. The flower symmetry is actinomorphic (radial) to slightly zygomorphic (bilateral) due to declinate-ascending stamens (curving downwards, then bent up at the tip). Narcissus flowers are characterised by their, usually conspicuous, corona (trumpet)."
"Surrounding the floral tube and corona and reflexed (bent back) from the rest of the perianth are the six spreading tepals or floral leaves, in two whorls which may be distally ascending, reflexed (folded back), or lanceolate. Like many monocotyledons, the perianth is h.o.m.ochlamydeous, that is undifferentiated into separate calyx (sepals) and corolla (petals), but rather has six tepals. The three outer tepal segments may be considered sepals, and the three inner segments petals. The transition point between the floral tube and the corona is marked by the insertion of the free tepals on the fused perianth."
"The corona, or paracorolla, is variously described as bell-shaped (funneliform, trumpet), bowl-shaped (cupular, crateriform, cup shaped) or disc-shaped with margins that are often frilled, and is free from the stamens. Rarely the corona is a simple callose (hardened, thickened) ring. The corona is formed during floral development as a tubular outgrowth from stamens which fuse into a tubular structure, the anthers becoming reduced. At its base the fragrances which attract pollinators are formed. All species produce nectar at the top of the ovary."
"While the perianth may point forwards, in some species such as N. cyclamineus it is folded back (reflexed, see ill.u.s.tration, left), while in some other species such as N. bulbocodium (Table I), it is reduced to a few barely visible pointed segments with a prominent corona."
"The colour of the perianth is white, yellow or bicoloured, with the exception of the night flowering N. viridiflorus which is green. In addition the corona of N. poeticus has a red crenulate margin."