Saffron

a bulbous plant of the crocus family. It has long grass-like leaves, and flowers that spring from short scapes like those of the crocus. The flower is purple; the style divides into three orange-colored stigmas an inch or so in length. These stigmas hold the yellow dye known commercially as saffron. They are picked in the early morning and dried in a kiln. The stigmas of over 1,000 flowers are required to yield an ounce of the dye. The saffron is a native of the Levant. It was cultivated by the Arabs in Spain during the tenth century; and during the fifteenth century was raised in quantities in England for the use of dyers. The ancient Greeks considered saffron a royal color. In addition to its use as a dye, saffron is also employed in medicine. The English and Cornish cooks use saffron to flavor a certain sort of bread. A "saffron" complexion denotes a yellow, sallow hue. Saffron is produced for sale in Spain, Asia Minor, Persia, Cashmere, and China. See Dye