Asteraceae
Carthamus

Carthamus tinctorius L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 830 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central & E. Türkiye to Iran. It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used as animal food, a medicine and invertebrate food, has environmental uses and for food.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
alazor, azafrán bastardo, azafrancillo, cártamo
[UNAL]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, 0.4–1.3 m high; stem white, glabrous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves ovate to lanceolate, 3–10 cm long, sessile, with entire to spiny-serrate margin
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Capitula 2.5–3 cm long; outer phyllaries resembling the leaves; innermost phyllaries entire, acuminate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets yellow, orange or red
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 6–10 mm long; pappus ± 5 mm long or absent.
Distribution
Grown at least in S3.
Vernacular
Astur (Somali), safflower (English).
Note
Native of south-western Asia
[FSOM]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1300–2560 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Bogotá DC, Cundinamarca, Tolima.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb 0.25–1.25 m tall
Morphology Stem
Stem unbranched below, with slender ascending branches above, shining white, glabrous, striate to angular-sulcate
Morphology Leaves
Basal and cauline leaves similar, glabrous or sparsely glandular, lanceolate-oblong to narrowly ovate or elliptic, 2–11 × 0.8– 2 cm, sessile, acute with a spinulose tip, margins entire or regularly serrate with shortly spinulose teeth
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucre subglobose, shortly glandular, thinly arachnoid or not, 1.8–3 cm in diameter, solitary or in lax corymbs, foliaceous outer phyllaries 4-seriate with base appressed and appendages ovate, acute with a spinulose tip, margins entire or spinulose; median and inner phyllaries from ovate-appendiculate to lanceolate inwards, stramineous below, prominently veined
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corollas orange to orange-red
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes turbinate, quadrangular, 7–8 × 4–5 mm; pappus absent.
Ecology
Cultivated, or as a relic of, or escape from cultivation; grown mainly on the alluvial plain, but also in the mountain region and perhaps elsewhere; alt. 35–2300 m;
Distribution
Cultivated in the Mediterranean region, W & C Asia and Africa since ancient times; not known outside cultivation, and of uncertain origin.
Phenology
flowering & fruiting: Mar.–Jun. on the plains, Jun.–Aug. in the mountains.
Vernacular
Safflower, ZA’FARĀN, QURTŪM
Note
Formerly the strip of land on the left of the R. Tigris was known as Za’faraniya because of Safflower cultivated there; but this land has now been swallowed up by the southward extension of the city of Baghdad.
[FIQ]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 1350 - 2800 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
[CPLC]

Uses

Use
Formerly cultivated for its red and yellow pigments, now mainly for the oil-producing achenes.
[FSOM]

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Invertebrate Food
Used as invertebrate food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Use
Used as colouring for food and other purposes.
[FIQ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0