Growing saffron crocus

*Crocus sativus* -- the saffron crocus -- produces the world's most expensive spice by weight. Each flower contains three red stigmas (the "threads"), which are harvested, dried, and used in minuscule quantities to color and flavor rice dishes, paellas, bouillabaisse, and breads. The price of.

Crocus sativus — the saffron crocus — produces the world's most expensive spice by weight. Each flower contains three red stigmas (the "threads"), which are harvested, dried, and used in minuscule quantities to color and flavor rice dishes, paellas, bouillabaisse, and breads. The price of commercial saffron reflects purely the labor of harvest: each thread is harvested by hand.

Home production in a well-tended plot can yield meaningful quantities. Per Cornell Cooperative Extension, a planting of 100 corms yields approximately 1-2 grams of dried saffron — enough for 20-30 servings of paella. Given that a gram of quality saffron retails for $5-15, even modest home production is worthwhile.

I don't grow saffron crocus at my Long Island plot, though zone 7a is squarely within its range.

Identification

Crocus sativus blooms in fall (September-October in zones 6-7), which distinguishes it from most spring crocuses. Per Missouri Botanical Garden, the flowers are lilac-purple with prominent deep-red stigmas extending beyond the petals. Leaves are narrow and grass-like, appearing at or just after bloom.

Do not confuse with autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), which blooms at the same time but is toxic. Colchicum flowers have 6 tepals and 6 stamens; Crocus sativus has 6 tepals and 3 stigmas.

The saffron strands are only from the stigmas (the red thread-like structures). The yellow stamens are not saffron.