At the end of the gardening season the domesticated fall
blooming crocus (Crocus sativus) comes out to show. They are believed to be descendant
from the eastern Mediterranean Crocus cartwrightianus, also known as “wild
saffron” and originating in Greece or Crete. Inside the lovely blooms three
stigma or threads bear the rare spice Saffron. At one point in antiquity Saffron was considered
currency and was a valuable pigment used by artists. Cleopatra put it in her bath as scent it is said.
Today one would need to plant approximately
80,000 flowers to obtain a pound of Saffron, commonly known as red gold, selling
for between 500 and 5,000 US dollars per pound.
If you have fall blooming crocus and are thinking of
harvesting some Saffron make sure that you can identify true Crocus
sativus. Other fall crocuses like
Colchicum Autumnal (Meadow Saffron) are not edible and indeed have toxic
properties, particularly for dogs. Also
very beautiful the Colchicum blooms contain three clusters of stigma, yellow
gold in color.
Aesthetically, the type of crocus hardly matters when one sees the sweet blossoms laid out on autumn’s canvas in light and shadow. They are a delight for the eye as winter comes on.
Photos of Saffron Crocus courtesy of High Country Gardens
Photos of Meadow Saffron Crocus by Barbara Carvallo
