Flowers make her ask what's in a name anyway?

"What's the difference between a daffodil and a narcissus?" someone asked me recently.

I replied that there was no difference. They are the same plant. I thought that narcissus was the botanical name and daffodil was the common name.

We think of daffodils as being yellow while the tiny white fragrant ones are often called narcissus.

Then I decided to look it up to see if I was correct. It turns out that I was right and I was wrong. Narcissus is indeed the botanical name for the genus and daffodil is the common name.

However, anyone who has ever received an enticing plant catalog knows that all daffodils are not yellow. The photographs represent blossoms that range in color from soft butter cream, to an intense egg yolk color.

They advertise red and pink ones but I have yet to see one in person. I ordered a beautiful pink variety one year and was disappointed to find out that it was really a light peach in my flowerbed.

I also have some of what I refer to as narcissus. They have multiple flowers per stem, small cups, some with dark edges and some without, and they smell delicious. The catalog refers to them as Poetica daffodils - not narcissus.

Oh, well. The daffodils are almost finished blooming for this year, anyway. The tulips are taking over the show. Soon it will be time for lilacs then peonies. To everything there is a season ...

So what is in a name? Does it really matter what we call a sunny spring blossom? Some people say yes and some say no.

If you are ordering a particular plant then the name most certainly matters. A daffodil is a far different entity than a lilac. A lilac is a bush, excuse me, shrub, and a daffodil is a spring perennial.

If you are referring to a person then sometimes we give more meaning to a name than we should. Remember all the hoopla about Barack Obama's name? One would have thought it was a capital offense to have such an unusual name. And his middle name - Hussein! Oh, my!

Now that he is firmly ensconced in the Oval Office nobody seems to care what his name is. We refer to him as Mr. President and give him the respect due the office. We also tend to blame the president, whomever he is, for all the ills of the nation.

When my daughter was little I called her whatever came to mind. I called her 'Lizabeth, Lilly Bet, Goosey Lucy, Goose, Punkin', Punkie, and host of other things. Her grandfather called her Lizzie, Beth or 'Lizabeth. She answered to us no matter what we called her. She currently goes by Miss Beth or Mommy.

When I was little I hated being called Diane. I couldn't understand why people left off that final "a." Now, I really don't care. I've been called a lot worse than Diane.

A name is just a handy way of differentiating people and things. Names are used to get people's attention. Sometimes they are used in vain. Sometimes they are used lovingly.

Remember how it felt to be called that pet name by a family member who is no longer living? Remember how it felt to be called by name in the heat of an argument? That is the power of words. That is the power of a name.

I recently read a paperback book in which names had power. To know the true name of a person or thing was to have power over it. While I don't believe in this theory, there is some truth to it.

When a superior calls you by your first name and you are required to call them by their title and last name, who do you think has power over whom?

In the case of daffodils versus narcissus there is no power struggle. There is simply a profusion of blossoms nodding cheerfully in the breeze. A group of them are a way for sunshine to touch the earth and linger for awhile.

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