SAFFLOWER Saffron  Yellow Orange Flower 300 Seeds

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 : Sun - Part Shade
WATER : Average
The Safflower is a Mediterranean native. It is one of the oldest crops harvested by humans and was uséd as a dye by the ancient Egyptians as far back as the 12th dynasty . It’s petals may be uséd 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 uséd 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.