One crocus, many origins
Saffron comes only from Crocus sativus. Its relatives, a poisonous flower it is mistaken for, and the same plant grown across the world.
Crocus sativus: the only source of saffron
All the world's saffron comes from a single species: Crocus sativus, the saffron crocus, from the iris family. This crocus is sterile. Each of its cells carries three sets of chromosomes (it is triploid), so it sets no seed and multiplies only through its corms.
The consequence is surprising: the saffron crocuses of Iran, Spain, Kashmir and Safranbolu are almost genetically identical. All of them are copies of one plant, selected by people thousands of years ago and passed on from corm to corm. The differences between saffrons don't come from the species. They come from soil, climate, harvest and the skill of the drying.
The wild ancestor and close relatives
The saffron crocus descends from Crocus cartwrightianus, a wild crocus of Greece and the Aegean islands. Genetic studies show the saffron crocus arose from it in the Bronze Age, somewhere around the Aegean.
Other relatives also flower in autumn and carry long red stigmas:
| Species | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Crocus cartwrightianus | Greece, Aegean islands | Saffron's wild ancestor |
| Crocus thomasii | Italy, Balkans | Short, pale stigmas |
| Crocus pallasii | Balkans, Anatolia | Flowers in autumn; weak stigmas |
| Crocus oreocreticus | Mountains of Crete | Flowers in autumn |
| Crocus hadriaticus | Greece | Mostly white-flowered |
Their stigmas are small and weak, and none of them yields commercial saffron. Türkiye is one of the richest places in the world for crocus species, but most of the crocuses that bloom on its mountainsides in spring have nothing to do with saffron.
Autumn crocus: the poison mistaken for saffron
How to tell them apart:
- Stamens: the saffron crocus has three yellow anthers; autumn crocus has six.
- Stigmas: saffron crocus stigmas are thick, deep red and long enough to hang out of the flower. In autumn crocus they're thin and pale.
- Leaves: the saffron crocus puts out its leaves with the flower or just after. Autumn crocus flowers leafless in autumn; its broad leaves come in spring.
Never pick saffron from a flower you aren't sure of.
Same plant, different soils
Because the saffron crocus is a single species, what sets one saffron apart from another is where it grows. The main producing regions:
- Iran: by far the largest share of world production comes from Iran, especially the Khorasan region.
- Spain: La Mancha saffron (Azafrán de La Mancha) carries a Protected Designation of Origin in the European Union.
- Greece: Krokos Kozanis, grown around Kozani, is also a protected designation of origin.
- Kashmir: saffron from around Pampore is known for its deep colour.
- Afghanistan and Morocco: production around Herat and Taliouine has grown in recent years.
- Türkiye: Safranbolu takes its name from saffron. Saffron is still grown there today, though on a small scale.
Recognising real saffron
Saffron is one of the most faked spices in the world. A few simple rules help:
- Buy threads, not powder. It is easy to mix turmeric, paprika or dye into powdered saffron.
- Look at the thread. A real stigma is a deep red thread that widens into a trumpet at one end. Flat, orange-yellow pieces are usually safflower petals.
- Put it in water. Real saffron releases its colour slowly into warm water, as gold, and the thread stays red. A thread that turns the water red at once, or goes pale itself, has been dyed.
- Check the price. Real saffron is expensive, because each gram takes about 150 flowers cleaned by hand. Very cheap saffron isn't real.