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Reorientation of daffodil(Narcissus: Amaryllidaceae) flowers inwind: drag reduction andtorsional flexibility¹

⁰ Department of Zoology, Box 90325, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0325 USA

ABSTRACT

Daffodil flowers extend laterally from the long axes of their stems; as a result, wind on a flower exerts torsional as well as flexural stress on the stem. Stems respond by twisting, and thus flowers reorient to face downwind in moderate winds, in the process reducing their drag by ~30%. This repositioning is facilitated by the stems' relatively low torsional stiffness. Daffodil stems have a ratio of flexural to torsional stiffness of 13.27 ± 0.96 (SD), compared with 8.33 ± 3.20 (SD) for tulip stems, which bear flowers as symmetrical extensions of their long axes, and compared with 1.5 for isotropic, incompressible, circular cylinders.

Key Words: Amaryllidaceae • biomechanics • daffodil • drag • flowers • Narcissus • torsional stiffness • wind

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