Unusual flowers: saffron (crocus)

Crocuses are unusual and very attractive flowers. Saffron - their other name. Growing them in a pot, you can give these flowers to the new year or any other holiday. In addition, everyone knows an expensive and rare spice - saffron. Photos (flowers are handled by hand - they are extracted from stamens and used not only as a spice, but also as a medicine and dye) demonstrate the complexity of its production. Let's look at the peculiarities of growing crocuses. And also give examples of their use and mention the glorious history that these flowers have.

Saffron or crocus

The bulbous ornamental plant blooms most often in early spring. There are about 80 species of crocuses. They grow in Europe, Crimea, Iran, Turkey. In nature, some of them have become rare. Ecologists have long suggested to put these flowers in the Red Book. Saffron is an Arabic name. This word means "yellow". So crocus began to be called because it is such a shade that the stigmas of the plant, which are collected for making spices and dyes. The same detail of its structure is due to the flower and the second, Old Greek name, formed from "kroke", which means "fiber" or "thread". After all, dried stigmas are just like fibers. It is for their sake that they have been growing and collecting these flowers for a long time in the wild.

Saffron in history and culture

This plant is mentioned in the ancient Egyptian papyri. His healing properties were spoken by famous doctors of that time and philosophers. Even then saffron (a flower whose photo allows us to see its delicate beauty) was highly appreciated. It was used to produce high-quality natural dye, which was necessary in order to decorate the clothes of high-ranking government officials. And also it served to make incense, medicine, refined spices. They mention saffron even in written sources of Sumerian civilization and in the Old Testament. He was often presented as a gift to the kings and emperors. There is a beautiful legend about how the crocuses appeared on earth. Allegedly, God Hermes accidentally, in the heat of a competitive game, killed his close friend Krok. Lamenting him, he turned the drops of his blood into amazing flowers.

Valuable spice and garden decoration

Crocus flowers do not last long, only one week. Collect them to make the seasoning should be in the morning at dawn, until the sun has risen and the air has not warmed up. The stamens extracted from each flower are sorted and processed by hand. This is an incredibly difficult and painstaking work. Therefore, saffron has long been learned to forge by mixing parts of another plant, weighting. Even if you are not a connoisseur of exclusive spices, crocus may be of interest to you as one of the most beautiful corms. Decorative gardening is known at the moment a huge variety of varieties with beautiful flowers that will decorate your site, successfully fitting into the rock garden and flower beds. In order to admire one of the brightest primroses in the spring, you should plant the bulbs in the soil in September.