NAME: Safflower

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Sallflower / Beni / Chimichanga / Dyer’s Saffron / American Saffron

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carthamus Tinctorius

COLOR: Yellow - Orange

PLANT SEEDS: Outdoors after frost / Indoors weeks before last frost

BLOOM TIME: Mid Summer

HARDINESS ZONE: Annual / Biennial

PLANT HEIGHT: 24 - 36"

PLANT SPACING: 12 - 15"

LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Sun - Part Shade

SOIL & WATER PREFERENCES: Average

QUANTITY: 300 Seeds

OTHER: The Safflower is a Mediterranean native. It is one of the oldest crops harvested by humans and was used as a dye by the ancient Egyptians as far back as the 12th dynasty . It’s petals may be used as a substitute for saffron, and the seeds are very popular with birds and are often found in birdseed mixes. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil (safflower oil) that is extracted from the seeds. Dried Safflower petals are used in a wide variety of herbal remedies. Safflower oil is also being looked at by the bio-diesel, weight loss, and heart disease prevention experts.