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Asteraceae
False Saffron
Carthamus tinctorius
abundance and resourcefulness.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Carthamus
- Native to
- Middle East, Central Asia
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 30-90 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, average
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 2-11
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- Safflower has been cultivated for over 4,000 years, originally grown for its flowers used as a dye and food coloring rather than its oil.
- It was used as a cheap substitute for true saffron in cooking, which is how it earned the name false saffron.
- Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were buried with garlands dyed with safflower, and traces have been found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
- Today it is primarily grown as an oilseed crop, producing a heart-healthy oil high in linoleic acid.
- The flowers produce two types of dye: a yellow water-soluble pigment and a red pigment called carthamin used in cosmetics.
Color meanings
0
abundance
1
resourcefulness
2
warmth
3
prosperity