Saffron

Family: Iridaceae

Genus: Crocus

Species: Sativus

Intro/Brief Description

The origination of the word is unclear. Some believe the name saffron is an Arabic word meaning “be yellow” while others credit it as a French word derived from the Latin word safranum.

Although not a vegetable, saffron corms are eaten by villagers in some parts of the world. It’s often used in sweet breads and desserts. Saffron is the most expensive herb in the world. It takes 75,000 plants to produce one pound of saffron. The three stigmas are gathered as the flower opens and are then carefully dried. During the drying process the stigmas lose 80% of their weight. It’s hand harvested because the stigmas are tiny and delicate, making this a labor intensive project.

Saffron has been used by man long enough to have been mentioned in the Old Testament, in the Song of Solomon.

Examples

C. sativus, native to southern Europe and Asia. It has a small showy plant growing 6-10 inches high. It is violet to blue and has lily-shaped flowers.

Special Features

Saffron’s rich color was used as a natural dye in foods and makeup because of its deep orange to reddish brown color. The enormously high price made it cost prohibitive. Artificial dyes have now taken its place. Saffron was also used in perfumery. It has a sharp scent.

It takes only a minute amount of saffron to flavor an entire meal. A sprinkle will season a pot of rice.

Hardiness

Saffron is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9.

Growth Habit

6” tall with long, thin leaves. Corms are dormant in the summer.

Bloom Time

Saffron crocus bloom in the fall unlike most spring blooming crocus. Remove spent flowers but leave the greenery in place. The plant will produce and store energy in the corm for the next year’s bloom and growth, and will form cormlets on the mother corm.

Propagation

Propagation is simple. Every second or third year, separate cormlets from the mother corm in the fall, after greenery has died back, and replant. Give the corms six to eight weeks before the ground becomes cold to allow time for root formation.

Saffron crocus is a triploid therefore it is sterile. Seeds are not produced.

Transplanting

Corms are easily found in gardening centers and catalogs in the spring. If corms are divided in the spring they will produce flowers the following fall. If you are maintaining an established planting it should be divided and transplanted in the fall after blooms are spent. Plant corms four to six inches deep and three to six inches apart, making sure to plant the root side down. Amend the soil as needed before planting.

Saffron crocus bloom best in the first one to three years. After that, discard the mother corms and replace them with cormlets.

Soil

Saffron crocus prefer well drained, dry soil high in organic matter.

Irrigation

If the summer is extremely dry you should water deeply once every other week. If the soil completely dries to beneath the root system in less than two weeks you should amend your soil with well-rotted compost in the fall.

Sunlight

Saffron crocus prefer full sunlight.

Care

For flower garden (non-commercial) use, divide corms every other year. Remove dead and diseased plants as they appear. Corms are inexpensive and easy to find so it’s better to replace them than nurse along plants that might spread disease. Saffron crocus are not heavy feeders. Since they are divided every other year, amending the soil with compost should provide adequate soil fertility.

Pests

Rodents such as mice, meadow voles and ground squirrels are pests. To protect your corns, place a length of 1” chicken wire over the corms, underneath the soil. This will slow down and deter these pets from digging up and eating your corms.

Disease

Narcissus mosaic virus along with other mosaic viruses can damage saffron crocus. Corm rot will occur in corms planted in wet areas. Saffron crocus do not like wet soil. Scab is also a problem. Diseased corms should be disposed of, not composted. In all, disease is not a big problem for saffron crocus.

Additional Info

Most of the saffron we use is grown in Spain. It originated in the Mediterranean and is grown as a crop in Portugal, Greece, Turkey, India, France, Italy and People's Republic of China.

Colchicum autumnale is sometimes confused with saffron crocus. It also blooms in the fall. Colchicum autumnale is poisonous.

References

Oregon State University Food Resource. Saffron.
Accessed October 18, 2006.

University of Florida Saffron.
Electronic Data Information Source
Accessed October 18, 2006.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Saffron Crocus.
Accessed October 18, 2006