Carthamus tinctorius L.

Flowering & Fruiting: April.

Pubescent or glabrous, thistle-like, erect herbs. Leaves simple, alternate, sessile; lamina ca. 1.5-6 x 0.4-1 cm, oblong-lanceolate, attenuate and semiamplexicaul at base, acute at apex, margin spinosely toothed or entire, teeth very rarely pinnatipartite, apically with 1-1.5 mm spinules. Capitula few to many, in a corymbose synflorescence, rarely 1; involucre ovoid, ca. 2.5 cm in diam; phyllaries in ca. 5 rows; outer phyllaries leaflike, ovate-lanceolate, 2-4 × ca. 1 cm, spiny; middle phyllaries 0.6-2 × 0.4-0.7 cm, constricted between pale parallel-veined basal part and leaflike apical part with green reticulate veins; inner phyllaries oblanceolate-elliptic to oblanceolate, ca. 2.2 × 0.5 cm, rigidly scarious, apex attenuate; corolla red to orange, ca. 2.8 cm. Achene ovoid to ellipsoid, ca. 0.55 cm, 4-angled; pappus absent.

Notes: Plains, Cultivated, Native of Mediterranean Region

Cosmopolitian

Widely cultivated

An edible oil is obtained from the seed. It contains a higher percentage of essential unsaturated fatty acids and a lower percentage of saturated fatty acids than other edible vegetable seed oils. The oil, light coloured and easily clarified, is used in salad dressings, cooking oils and margarines. A very stable oil, it is said to be healthier than many other edible oils and its addition to the diet helps to reduce blood-cholesterol levels. Seed - cooked. They can be roasted, or fried and eaten in chutneys. Tender young leaves and shoots - cooked or raw. A sweet flavour, they can be used as a spinach. An edible yellow and a red dye are obtained from the flowers. The yellow is used as a saffron substitute to flavour and colour food. A red dye can be obtained by steeping the flowers in alcohol. It is used for dyeing cloth and, mixed with talcum powder, is used as a rouge to colour the cheeks. The seed hulls have been used to make potting mixtures for nurseries, packing and insulation materials, and as filler for bricks.

Safflower is commonly grown as a food plant, but also has a wide range of medicinal uses. Modern research has shown that the flowers contain a number of medically active constituents and can, for example, reduce coronary heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. The plant is alterative, analgesic, antibacterial, antiphlogistic, febrifuge, haemopoietic, sedative, sudorific and vermifuge. It is used in the treatment of tumours and stomatitis. When combined with Ligusticum wallichii it is said to have a definite therapeutic effect upon coronary diseases. The flowers are anticholesterolemic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, laxative, purgative, sedative and stimulant. They are used to treat menstrual pains and other complications by promoting a smooth menstrual flow and were ranked third in a survey of 250 potential anti-fertility plants. In domestic practice, the flowers are used as a substitute or adulterant for saffron in treating infants complaints such as measles, fevers and eruptive skin complaints. Externally, the flowers are applied to bruising, sprains, skin inflammations, wounds etc. The flowers are harvested in the summer and can be used fresh or dried. They should not be stored for longer than 12 months. It is possible to carefully pick the florets and leave the ovaries behind so that seed can be produced, though this procedure is rather more time-consuming. The seed is diuretic, purgative and tonic. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism and tumours, especially inflammatory tumours of the liver. The oil is charred and used to heal sores and treat rheumatism. In Iran, the oil is used as a salve for treating sprains and rheumatism.