The name of the world’s newest daffodil will be revealed in Falmouth today having been selected from 60 suggested by local school children.

The youngsters are growing the, as yet un-named, daffodil having been given bulbs by local daffodil breeder, Ron Scamp. The flower will make its first appearance at the Falmouth Spring Flower Show at the Princess Pavilion later this month.

Ron said of the new flower: “During its development in the past ten years it has been known by its trial number 840 6Y-O. It finally has a name and I am delighted that the children took such a keen interest we had 60 entries to choose from.

"The daffodils grown by the children will make their first public appearance at the flower show. There I will present an official certificate of registration from the Royal Horticultural Society to the pupil whose name we choose.”

The children have nurtured the bulbs with advice from Cormac gardeners Matt Stannard and Howard Burns with the naming competition coordinated by Jacqui Owen, the visitor and education officer at Gyllyngdune Gardens.

The winning name will be revealed at an exhibition being held in the foyer of Falmouth’s Municipal Buildings celebrating the county’s daffodil history, which opens on St Piran’s Day.

The photography exhibition, entitled Then & Now: Cornwall’s Daffodil Families, runs until March 28 as part of the Falmouth Spring Festival and features the history of daffodil growers from the Falmouth and Penzance areas and the Isles of Scilly.

Spring Flower Show committee member, Jean Carr, who has researched the exhibition, said: “It seems fitting that Cornwall’s newest daffodil will also be making its first public appearance at this year’s flower show. This exhibition would not have happened without the wonderful photographic archives in this county and the personal photographs of daffodil farmers.

As well as the photography exhibition, the Falmouth library will display books on Cornwall’s daffodil industry, Falmouth Art Gallery is showing a selection of floral themed art works billed as Not Your Average Flower Show, and local artist Elle Sambrook will design a living plant installation for the foyer of the Municipal Buildings.

All these events are curtain raisers for the Falmouth Spring Festival which opens next Thursday, March 12, with Paint The Town Yellow Day when thousands of daffodils will be distributed to shops and shoppers by school children and university students.