Saffron is a species of crocus that is grown for its prized orange stigmas and styles. This expensive and labor-intensive spice is used to dye fabric but mostly to flavor foods. It is unknown in the wild and is a product of 3500 years of selective breeding by several different civilizations. This short plant has purple to lavender flowers that appear in fall for a 1–2-week period when the saffron spice can be collected. Each corm produces several flowers. The leaves are narrow and grass-like and appear shortly before flowering. The corms should be planted 4 inches apart and 4 inches deep in well-drained soil with moderate levels of organic matter in full sun. The corms will multiply each year and can be divided to produce more plants. Plant in borders, walkways, rock gardens or in mass plantings. To harvest the saffron, remove the bright orange stigmas and use fresh or dry and store in air-tight containers for later use. Use in the border. mass planted or naturalized areas. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Subject to fungal disease if the blooming period coincides with a wet period or root rot if planted in a wet location. Squirrels, mice and other rodents may eat the corms.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 0 ft. 10 in. | Width: 0 ft. 2 in. - 0 ft. 4 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
5-11 linear upright green leaves up to 16 inches long appear from the corm prior to blooming.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Edible
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower detail
Each flower has six purple to lavender lily-like petals with three long style branches tipped with reddish-orange protruding stigmas. Flowers close at night. The blooming season is short, perhaps 14 days in the fall. The flowers are sterile.
Bloom time
Fall
Fruit detail
No fruit, flowers are sterile.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Food & Medicine
Uses (ethnobotany)
Has been used medicinally by several cultures
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Naturalized Area; Patio; Small Space; Walkways