Carthamus tinctorius.

Carthamus tinctorius Linn. Compositae. False Saffron. Safflower.

Old World; extensively cultivated in India, China and other parts of Asia; also in Egypt, southern Europe and in South America. Under the name of safflower, the flowers are used largely for dyeing. Phillips says the flowers are used in Spain and in the Levant to color foods. The oil from the seeds in India is used for lamps and for culinary purposes, says Drury. In South America, as well as in Jamaica, as Ainslie writes, the flowers are much used for coloring broths and ragouts. They were so used in England in the time of Parkinson. In American seed catalogs, the seed is offered under the name of saffron but the true saffron is the product of a crocus.

Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World, 1919, was edited by U. P. Hedrick.