USDA Zones — 5-10
Difficulty — Easy
Other Names — Alazor, American Saffron, Bastard Saffron, Benibana, Benibana Oil, Benibana Flower, Cártamo, Carthame, Dyer’s Saffron, Fake Saffron, False Saffron, Safranon, Zaffer, Zafran, Sallflower and Chimichanga.
Belonging to the family Asteraceae, the safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is an annual plant. Ideal for dry gardens, it has a bushy growing habit and reaches 0.80 to 1 m high. It has sturdy stems and leathery and slightly prickly leaves. Once planted, safflower first forms a rosette of leaves resembling a large dandelion.
Each stem is adorned with a big flower head composed of many florets, color can vary from light yellow to dark orange. These flowers attract bees and various other beneficial insects and be used as cut flowers. Safflower seeds can be eaten, they are rich in essential fatty acids. Other parts of this plant are also edible: Young and tender shoots are served in salads.
Safflower has a long taproot that can go down to 2 meters deep, which makes it able to pick up the water and other essential nutrients from the depth of soil. It is also called “false saffron” because of its orange flowers that produce a coloration similar to saffron. Once dried and powdered, they may be substituted for real saffron but without having the exceptional aroma.
For growing safflower, propagate it from seeds. It requires direct seeding, as the plant doesn’t transplant well because of long taproot. The optimum seed germination temperature is around 60 – 70 F (15-20 C).
Till the soil well and remove the stones and other debris. Add compost or aged manure if the soil is poor. Sow the seeds in rows, with a spacing of 20 cm in the row and 30 cm between rows, so that each plant will have room to
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