Due to the lingering heat of autumn, I had anticipated a delay in the blooming of daffodils, but they have started to bloom as usual. While daffodils are often considered harbingers of spring, early-blooming Japanese daffodils and Fusazaki daffodils begin blooming as early as late November, welcoming winter and even crossing into the new year. Around March, alongside Japanese daffodils, trumpet daffodils and lipstick daffodils start to bloom, allowing daffodils to grace us with their presence throughout almost half a year during the winter. Believed to have originated along the Mediterranean coast, Japanese daffodils might have entered Japan from China, possibly as early as the Heian period or even earlier. There is a theory suggesting that daffodil bulbs might have drifted across the Sea of Japan to reach Japan. The name ‘水仙 (daffodil)’ is derived from Chinese classics, where the flower’s beautiful appearance and fragrance were likened to that of an ‘仙人 (immortal).’ The English name ‘Narcissus’ comes from the Greek myth of a beautiful youth who fell in love with his own reflection in a spring and, captivated by his image, transformed into a flower.

暑い秋が続いたので、遅れるかと思っていた水仙が例年通りに咲き始めました。水仙は春を告げる花とよく言われますが、早咲きの日本水仙や房咲き水仙などは、早い所では11月下旬頃から咲き始めますから、冬の訪れとともに咲き、年を越す花と言った方がいいかもしれません。３月頃から日本水仙に混じって、ラッパ水仙や口紅水仙が咲き始めますから、水仙は冬の間中およそ半年間咲き続ける訳です。水仙の原産地は地中海沿岸と言われていますから、日本水仙も平安時代頃、ひょっとしたらもっと早く、中国から入ってきたのでしょう。それも、水仙の球根が日本海に流れ着いたのが起源ではないかと言う説もあります。水仙は中国の古典から取った名前で、きれいな花の姿と芳香が まるで「仙人」の ようだと言うところからきました。英語名の 「ナルシサス」は ギリシャ神話の美少年の名前で、 泉に映った自分の姿に恋をして 毎日見つめ続けたら いつのまにか １本の花になってしまったと言うところから来ています。