Saffron crocus, or crocus sativus, is a member of the Iris family, Iridaceae. It is cultivated for its bright orange-red stigmas used as spices. Saffron has a nuanced, complex flavor with a sweet floral and subtle earthy taste. Its labor-intensive cultivation, consisting of gathering and processing techniques, makes saffron the most valuable spice in the world. It takes around 4,000 flowers to yield an ounce of saffron or 150 flowers to produce one gram! Planting time is September to early Octob

Picked a few saffron crocus stigmas! Waiting for the rest to bloom. Last fall, the squirrels took some of the flowers and dug up several corms! 😬 We started with 30 corms nearly three years ago and lost about half to last year’s very cold, wet, and prolonged snow. ☺️ 🌱IG @learntogrow #crocussativus #saffron #crocus #fallgarden #flowergarden #pnwgardening #gardenersofinstagram #organicgardening #spices #herbgarden #usa #canada #garden #herbs | ᑭlantamaven

Saffron is a fascinating plant - in the crocus genus, it grows from little corms that throw out long green spindly leaves and low blooming flowers that produce three orange-red stigmas. These three stigmas ARE what we know as saffron in a spice jar. Even wilder, there is no known example of Crocus sativus in the wild - it appears to be a mutation from a predecessor that is now entirely propagated through human cultivation! | Epic Gardening