Wikimedia Commons
Iridaceae
Saffron Crocus
Crocus sativus
Wealth and precious beauty.
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Genus
- Crocus
- Native to
- Greece, Southwest Asia
- Bloom season
- Fall
- Type
- bulb
- Height
- 4-6 in
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, sandy loam
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 6-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Saffron is the world's most expensive spice by weight; it takes about 75,000 flowers to produce one pound of saffron threads.
- Each flower produces only three red stigmas, which must be hand-picked in a labor-intensive harvest lasting just two weeks.
- It is a sterile triploid that cannot produce seeds and has been propagated solely by human division of corms for over 3,500 years.
- Cleopatra reportedly bathed in saffron-infused water for its cosmetic and aphrodisiac properties.
- Iran produces over 90% of the world's saffron supply, mostly in the Khorasan province.
Color meanings
0
wealth
1
wisdom
2
preciousness