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Common Name: Saffron

General Information

Crocus sativus is a Corm up to 0.10 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The plant is poisonous[]. The plant is perfectly safe in normal usage but 5 - 10 grams of saffron has been known to cause death[].

Botanical References

Range

S. Europe - Greece to W. Asia.

Habitat

Not known in a truly wild location[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Corm
Height	0.10 m
Pollinators	Bees, butterFlies
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a well-drained sandy or loamy soil that is free from clay[]. Prefers a sunny position[]. Grows well on calcareous soils[] and on hot sheltered stony banks[].
Plants are very frost hardy[]. They also thrive in areas with poor summers, though they usually fail to flower in such conditions[].
Plants produce less saffron when grown on rich soils[]. They do not flower very freely in Britain[].
Saffron has been cultivated for over 4,000 years for the edible dye obtained from the flower stigmas[]. It was at one time commercially grown in Britain and the town Saffron Walden obtained its name because of this. There is at least one named form. 'Cashmirianus' comes from Kashmir and has large high quality corms. It yields about 27 kilos of rich orange stigmas per hectare[].
When inhaled near to, the flowers have a delicate perfume[]. Unlike most members of this genus, the flowers do not close of a night time or in dull weather[]. The flowers are only produced after hot, dry summers[].
Plants tend to move considerably from their original planting place because of their means of vegetative reproduction, it is therefore wise not to grow different species in close proximity[].
Any planting out is best done in late spring or early summer[].
Plants take 4 - 5 years to come into flowering from seed.

Edible Uses

The flower styles are commonly used as a flavouring and yellow colouring for various foods such as bread, soups, sauces, rice and puddings[, , , , , , , ]. They are an essential ingredient of many traditional dishes such as paella, bouillabaisse, risotto milanese and various other Italian dishes[]. The styles are extremely rich in riboflavin[]. Water soluble[]. Yields per plant are extremely low, about 4000 stigmas yield 25g of saffron[]. Saffron is the world's most expensive spice, it takes 150,000 flowers and 400 hours work to produce 1 kilo of dried saffron[]. About 25 kilos of styles can be harvested from a hectare of the plant[]. Fortunately, only very small quantities of the herb are required to impart their colour and flavour to dishes[]. Because of the cost, saffron is frequently adulterated with cheaper substitutes such as marigold flowers and safflower[].
The flower styles are used as a tea substitute[].
Root - cooked[]. The corms are toxic to young animals[] so this report of edibility should be treated with some caution[].

Medicinal

Saffron is a famous medicinal herb with a long history of effective use, though it is little used at present because cheaper and more effective herbs are available[, , ]. The flower styles and stigmas are the parts used, but since these are very small and fiddly to harvest they are very expensive and consequently often adulterated by lesser products[].
The styles and stigmas are anodyne, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, appetizer, carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, sedative and stimulant[, , , , , ]. They are used as a diaphoretic for children, to treat chronic haemorrhages in the uterus of adults, to induce menstruation, treat period pains and calm indigestion and colic[, ]. A dental analgesic is obtained from the stigmas[]. The styles are harvested in the autumn when the plant is in flower and are dried for later use[], they do not store well and should be used within 12 months[]. This remedy should be used with caution[], large doses can be narcotic[] and quantities of 10g or more can cause an abortion[].

Other Uses

The yellow dye obtained from the stigmas has been used for many centuries to colour cloth[, , , ]. It is the favoured colouring for the cloth of Indian swamis who have renounced the material world.
A blue or green dye is obtained from the petals[].

Propagation

Seed - according to some reports this species is a sterile triploid and so does not produce fertile seed[, ]. However, if seed is obtained then it is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[]. Stored seed can be sown in the spring in a cold frame[]. Germination can take 1 - 6 months at 18°c[]. Unless the seed has been sown too thickly, do not transplant the seedlings in their first year of growth, but give them regular liquid feeds to make sure they do not become deficient. Divide the small bulbs once the plants have died down, planting 2 - 3 bulbs per 8cm pot. Grow them on for another 2 years in a greenhouse or frame and plant them out into their permanent positions when dormant in late summer[]. It takes 3 years for plants to flower from seed[].
Division of the clumps in late summer after the plant has died down[, , ]. The bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.