Crocus yields saffron, beauty, medicinal uses

Published 12:15 am Sunday, January 8, 2023

Hermes, the herald of the Greek gods, was enjoying a game of discus. His lover Crocus stood up at just the wrong moment. Grief stricken, Hermes transformed the youth into a flower. Three drops of blood that had dripped from his wound became the stigma of the flower which would ever after bear his name.

Hermes was also the god of travelers, thieves and merchants. Spice merchants have certainly profited by this association.

Crocus sativus, or Saffron Crocus, has been highly prized in the Mediterranean and Middle East for centuries. Five thousand stigmas (taken from 1,700 flowers) yield just one ounce of the precious spice saffron.

In India, saffron is used ceremonially, and once dyed Buddhist robes their very special orangey-gold hue.

Saffron is used to flavor and color a variety of foods, especially rice. It has been used as an aphrodisiac, but too much can be a narcotic.

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At a cost of up to $1,500 an ounce, who in blazes could afford too much?

This variety blooms in autumn after a long, hot summer, making it perfect for its native regions. Once open, the mauve flower stays open. It has a sheath of grassy leaves.

In traditional medicine, it was used to treat fever, cramp and enlarged livers. It was applied externally to bruises, rheumatism and arthritis.

The crocus we are most familiar with is the ornamental variety, and comes in a plethora of colors. Yellow and purple are a complementary combination. They bloom in late winter, sometimes when there is still snow on the ground. Interplant them with daffodils, tulips, or other spring bulbs to have a succession of blooms that lasts two months or more.

Don’t mistake the poisonous Colchicum for it. Sometimes confusingly called Autumn Crocus, Colchicum blooms in fall and has six stamens, while crocus blooms in spring and has only three.

In the language of flowers, crocus says cheerfulness and gladness. The white represent truth, innocence and purity. The purple suggest pride, success and dignity, while the yellow express joy.

In the Far East, crocus blooming on a loved one’s grave was a good omen. Pliny advised revelers to wear a wreath around their necks to prevent drunkenness.

Like Persephone, who returns to earth each spring from the underworld so the crops will grow, the crocus returns every year.

These cheerful blossoms remind us that nature has been hard at work underground during the Great Gloom, and spring is about to burst forth in all her glory.

– A reference librarian, Lisa Karen Miller has been gardening and researching plant lore for many years. Have plant lore to share? Email lisalisa13131313@gmail.com.