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Carthamus tinctorius

Dyer's-saffron · False Saffron · Safflower

Family AsteraceaeGenus Carthamus

A rounded head of bright yellow thread-like florets opening from a spiny green base, above sharply toothed leaves.
FlowerPseudoanas (talk)Public domain

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
annualPlants of the World Online
Habit
Annual, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
Yellow, redFlora of North America
Native range
IranGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Flora of North America — Flora of North America Editorial Committee; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • One of humanity's oldest crops, first grown in Mesopotamia. Ancient Egyptian textiles were dyed with it, and garlands of safflowers were found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Wikipedia: Safflower
  • Also called false saffron, for petals that resemble saffron. It is grown commercially for the oil in its seeds. Wikipedia: Safflower

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1, in 28 days.

67% germination in 28 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Carthamus p. 113Public domain
Show the original text
Carthamus (Asteraceae). C. tinctorious germ. 43% in 3-10 d in either 70L or 70D and 40(67% in 4th w).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Carthamus p. 113. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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