Safflower

Safflower - Photo by VanLap Hoàng

Safflower is a thistle-like plant with yellow, orange or red flowers. It is cultivated to extract vegetable oil from the seeds.

Flowers of Safflower are sometimes used as a cheaper substitute for saffron, which is why it is sometimes called “bastard saffron”.

Names

Scientific
   Carthamus tinctorius
English
   Bastard saffron
   Safflower
Dutch
   Saffloer
Spanish
   Alazor
   Cártamo
French
   Carthame des teinturiers
   Faux-safran
German
   Falscher Safran
   Färberdistel
   Färbersaflor
   Öldistel
   Saflor
Italian
   Cartamo
   Zafferanone

Taxonomy

Genus
   Carthamus
Family
   Asteraceae
Order
   Asterales

Basic information and facts

Origin:

Distribution:

Main producers include India, USA, Mexico, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, China, Argentina and Australia.

Annual, biennial, or perennial:

Annual

Flowers:

The globular flowers are orange, yellow or red.

Plant:

Safflower is a highly branched plant which looks a bit like a thistle.

Fruits:

Climate and weather:

Safflower grows well in climates with a long dry season and a short rainy season. It cannot tolerate frost.

Pollination:

Height:

Safflower can be 30 to 150 cm tall.

Propagation:

Grown from seeds.

Uses:

Vegetable oil is extracted from the seeds. The flowers are sometimes used as a substitute for saffron. Safflower can also be used as a yellow or red dye for textiles. Dried flowers are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Crop categories

Medicinal plants
Vegetable oils
Dye crops
Subtropical crops

Pictures