I love daffodils! Where I live in the Uk, they are a sure sign that spring is just around the corner. With their bright yellow petals and vibrant coronas (or trumpets), a bunch of daffodils can feel like a glimpse of sunshine on a winter day!
In this post, we’ll take a look at how to dissect daffodil flowers and which parts to look out for.
Before we get started, please note that daffodils are toxic if ingested. If you are doing a daffodil dissection with children, please ensure you refer to your local guidance and complete a risk assessment beforehand. You can read the Wonder at the World disclaimer here.
What you need for a daffodil dissection
Daffodils are super easy to dissent, and you don’t need any fancy equipment. These are some things you might want to consider having to hand:
- Small scissors
- Small trays/paper plates to keep all the flower parts together
- Tweezers
- Paper and pencil for recording information
- Camera (if you want to photograph the parts)
- Hand lenses/microscopes (particularly useful for exploring the pollen and ovules).
The spathe
Before you begin taking the flower apart, start by removing most of the stem to make the flower easier to handle. The first part to note is the spathe. This papery brown structure protects the flower when it is in bud. It can be carefully removed by hand or with a pair of scissors/tweezers.
The petals
The petals of a daffodil can easily be removed intact by hand. Grip the neck, then pinch the top of a petal and gently pull down. Daffodils have 6 petals that can be yellow (multiple shades) or cream/white.
Quick note here: In a daffodil, the ‘petals’ are technically tepals. The term tepal is used when the outer parts of a flower cannot be easily classified as petals or sepals. For younger students, I’d be inclined to stick with ‘petals’ for ease of understanding.
The corona
The round, frilly structure is called the corona, or trumpet. It gives the daffodil its distinctive shape! The easiest way to remove it is to snip a line from top to bottom, then ‘peel’ it away at the base. Alternatively, if you want to leave it intact, you can snip in a circle around the base, taking care not to cut off any other parts.
The stamens
Next up are the stamens. They are long and thin and made up of 2 parts – a long filament supporting an anther on top. The stamens are the male reproductive parts of the flower. The anthers produce the pollen grains. You’ll probably see the grains of yellow pollen on your fingers at this point! There are 6 stamens in total, and these can be carefully removed with fingers or scissors/tweezers.
The pistil
The female parts are called the ovary, stigma, and style. Together, they make up the pistil in the center of the flower. The style is long and thin, and takes pollen from the stigma to the ovary. The ovary is full of tiny white ovules. When pollen reaches the ovary, it joins with an ovule to form a seed (fertilization).
And there’s a video!
Want a video that students can watch alongside investigating daffodil flowers? This one will guide them through the different flower parts in simple terms.
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