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Ah, daffodils. Those cheery, usually yellow, symbols of spring…they're also cold-blooded killers.
水仙花，它们是春天欢乐的象征，也是冷血的杀手。
They're not only toxic to us and our pets—they're toxic to other plants!
它们不仅对人类和宠物有害——它们连其他植物也不放过！
But turns out, there are some big reasons to be thankful for that.
但事实证明，我们有很多理由对此心存感激。
All plants in the genus Narcissus (otherwise known as daffodils) are poisonous from bulb to bloom.
水仙属的所有植物（也被称为水仙）从鳞茎到花朵都是有毒的。
We've actually talked about their toxicity before, because one chemical they have, lycorine, poses a threat to people and pets.
我们之前已经讨论过它们的毒性，因为它们含有的一种化学物质，石蒜碱，会对人和宠物造成威胁。
But it turns out these flowers also kill their petaled peers. If you put fresh-cut daffodils in the same vase as, say,
但事实证明，这些花也会杀死它们有花瓣的同伴。如果你把刚剪下来的水仙花
tulips or roses, you'll notice the other flowers quickly become wilted and their leaves yellowed.
和郁金香或玫瑰放在同一个花瓶里，你会发现其他的花很快就枯萎了，叶子也变黄了。
And I do mean "quickly." A daffodil can reduce a rose's vase life from eleven days
确实非常快。一朵水仙会将一朵玫瑰的瓶插寿命从11天
down to three, or a tulip's vase life from seven days to four.
减至3天，或将郁金香的瓶插寿命从7天减至4天。
Florists call this the "vase effect." And it's thanks to the daffodil's stems.
花匠把这种现象称为“花瓶效应”。这都是由于水仙花的茎段。
They're full of a toxic sap called mucilage, so when the flowers are cut, sap flows from the stem.
它们充满了一种叫做粘液的有毒汁液，所以当花朵被剪开时，汁液从茎部流出。
This wouldn't be so bad, except that when they're put in the same vase,
这也不算太糟糕，除非——当它们和其他花被放进同一个瓶子时，
other flowers use their stems as straws to suck up water—and whatever's in it. Like poison.
其他的花用它们的茎作为吸管来吸干水——不管水里有什么东西。比如毒药。
Different parts of the mucilage can kill different flowers, too.
粘液的不同部分也可以杀死不同花朵。
Roses, for example, are done in by its sugar—though, indirectly.
例如，玫瑰被它的糖分杀死——虽然是间接的。
See, the sugar is a feast for bacteria in the water, and since rose stems don't have much of a microbiome to protect them,
糖是水中细菌的大餐，而由于玫瑰茎没有太多的微生物来保护它们，
those bacteria can get inside and plug them up, keeping the flower from getting enough water.
这些细菌可以进入茎部并堵塞它们，使花得不到足够的水。
Meanwhile, species like tulips have to contend with narciclasine.
与此同时，像郁金香这样的物种不得不与水仙环素竞争。
That's an alkaloid—so it's in the same class of molecules as caffeine and nicotine.
这是一种生物碱——它与咖啡因和尼古丁属于同一类分子。
And while it's not exclusive to daffodils, it's still bad news —research has shown that it can kill plants in a bunch of ways.
虽然这种物质不是水仙花独有的，但这仍然是个坏消息——研究表明它能以多种方式杀死植物。
It inhibits cell division and protein synthesis—both of which are kind of deal breakers for staying alive.
它抑制细胞分裂和蛋白质合成——这两者都是维持生命的决定性因素。
And it can interfere with the plant growth hormone auxin.
它可以干扰植物生长激素生长素。
So, narciclasine can jam almost all of the signals that poor tulip needs to stay beautiful.
所以水仙环素可以干扰可怜的郁金香需要保持美丽所发出的信号。
Luckily, florists get around the daffodil's penchant for destruction by putting them in a separate vase
辛运的是，花店为了避免水仙花的破坏倾向，把它们放在一个单独的花瓶里，
for at least a few hours to draw out the sap.
至少花上几个小时来提取水仙花的汁液。
Then, when their water is replaced, most of the toxic stuff is washed away.
当它们的水被替换后，大部分的有毒物质就被冲走了。
More will leak if you cut or otherwise wound the stems again, though.
但是，如果你再次切割或以破坏它们的茎，就会有更多的汁液漏出来。
And you might not want to toss the mucilage at all. Because some plants actually seem to like it.
你可能根本不想扔掉粘液，因为一些植物似乎还挺喜欢它的。
Irises, for example, live longer when paired with daffodils.
例如，鸢尾与水仙花搭配，寿命更长。
It seems that for them, narciclasine prevents the production of enzymes and other proteins involved in aging,
对它们来说，水仙环素似乎可以阻止与衰老有关的酶和其他蛋白质的产生，
allowing the flowers to last longer. And irises might not be the only species to benefit from the daffodil's sap.
从而延长花的寿命。鸢尾可能不是唯一从水仙花汁液中受益的物种。
The father of medicine, Hippocrates, used salves of Narcissus oil to treat cancer, of all things, way back in the 4th and 5th Century B.C.E.
早在公元前4、5世纪，医学之父希波克拉底就使用水仙油治疗癌症.
And narciclasine's antitumor potential was recognized when it was isolated in the 1960s.
水仙环素的抗肿瘤潜能在20世纪60年代被发现。
So now, researchers are taking a closer look to see if its ability to impede cell growth and survival
所以现在，研究人员正在仔细观察它是否有能力阻止细胞生长和生存，
could make it useful for managing and treating cancers. So yeah—daffodils are surprisingly feisty.
从而使其有效于对癌症的控制和治疗。所以，没错，水仙花出奇地争强好胜。
And that's part of what makes them great. Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow!
这是它们如此伟大的部分原因。感谢收看本期节目！
If you enjoyed learning about this killer plant,
如果你想了解这个杀手植物，
you'll probably love our list show of poisonous plants you might have around your house.
你可能会喜欢我们列出的家庭种植的有毒植物。
And if all this flower science has your love of fun science videos blooming,
如果所有这些花卉科学让你爱上了有趣的科学视频，
you can click the subscribe button and ring the notification bell!
你可以点击订阅按钮，接收通知！
