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Iridaceae
Crocus
Crocus
Cheerfulness, youthful gladness, rebirth.
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Genus
- Crocus
- Native to
- Europe, Central Asia, North Africa
- Bloom season
- Late Winter, Early Spring, Fall (Some Species)
- Type
- cormous perennial
- Height
- 5–15 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun to partial shade
- Soil
- Well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–8
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Did you know
- Saffron, the world's most expensive spice by weight, is harvested from the stigmas of Crocus sativus — each flower yields only 3 stigmas, and it takes ~150 flowers to produce 1 gram.
- Crocuses often push through snow to bloom, making them among the earliest signs of spring.
- Saffron has been used for over 3,500 years as a spice, dye, and medicine.
- Some species bloom in fall — don't confuse them with the unrelated (and deadly poisonous) autumn crocus, Colchicum.
- Crocus flowers close at night and on cloudy days to protect their pollen.