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The saffron crocus is unknown in the wild; its most likely precursor, Crocus cartwrightianus, originated in Crete or Central Asia; [2] The saffron crocus is native to Southwest Asia, and is believed to have been first cultivated in Iran. [3] Greece, Turkey, and Kashmir have also been suggested as possible sites of origin. [4]
Crocus sativus, commonly known as saffron crocus or autumn crocus, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the iris family Iridaceae. A cormous autumn-flowering cultivated perennial , unknown in the wild, [ 2 ] it is best known for the culinary use of its floral stigmas as the spice saffron .
Saffron (/ ˈ s æ f r ə n,-r ɒ n /) [1] is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent in food. The saffron crocus was slowly propagated throughout much of Eurasia and ...
Crocus (/ ˈ k r oʊ k ə s /; plural: crocuses or croci) is a genus of seasonal flowering plants in the family Iridaceae (iris family) comprising about 100 species of perennials growing from corms.
Saffron crocus flowers, represented as small red tufts, are gathered by two women in a fragmentary Minoan fresco from the excavation of Akrotiri on the Aegean island of Santorini. The history of saffron in human cultivation and use reaches back more than 3,000 years and spans many cultures, continents, and civilizations.
[2] [3] [4] It includes a number of economically important cultivated plants, such as species of Freesia, Gladiolus, and Crocus, as well as the crop saffron. Members of this family are perennial plants, with a bulb, corm or rhizome. The plants grow erect, and have leaves that are generally grass-like, with a sharp central fold.
One of the world's most expensive spices by weight, [2] saffron consists of stigmas plucked from the vegetatively propagated and sterile Crocus sativus, known popularly as the saffron crocus. The resulting dried stigmas, also known as "threads", are distinguished by their bitter taste, hay-like fragrance, and slight metallic notes.
Saffron crocus flowers, represented as small red tufts, are gathered by two women in a fragmentary Minoan fresco from the excavation of Akrotiri on the Aegean island of Santorini. Human cultivation and use of saffron spans more than 3,500 years [1] [2] and extends across cultures, continents, and civilizations.