Botonical Description
Saffron is obtained from the dried red stigmas of Crocus sativus L., an autumnal plant belonging to the Iridaceae family.
It reproduces vegetatively by corms. Each corm produces 6 to 9 narrow grass-like leaves and 1 to 4 flowers. Saffron flowers consist of three stigma, three anthers and six purple petals. The female sexual part of saffron flower consists of stigma, style, ovary and pedicel and the male part, the yellow stamens; are.
In the center of the flower, the pistil consists of a inferior ovary from which a thin stalk called style , 9 to 10 cm long, arises. The style is pale yellow and divides into a bright orange-red, three-lobed stigma. The stigmas together with about 5 cm long style, when dried, constitute the pure saffron that is commercially available.
The saffron plant is propagated by the corms formed by the mother corm. The corms are dormant during the summer. Saffron production begins with the planting of dormant mother corms in summer (June to September). Mother corms produce flowers. Mother corms die after forming the secondary corms in late spring. Secondary corms form flower buds in early summer and are dormant from June to September.
Saffron flowering period extends over 2 or 3 weeks in October or November (depending on geographical differences). The closed flowers are picked by hand in the early morning hours to obtain a spice with high qualitative characteristics.
