Per Rogier van Vugt, the Head Gardener at the greenhouses at Leiden University and at Hortus botanicus Leiden, from Noordwijk, Zuid-Holla...Read Morend, Netherlands:
"If there was a plant that would produce gold. Would you grow it? What if I tell you there are plants that produce substances that by weight can be just as valuable? The saffron crocus is one of these plants. Each flower makes three red stigmas and these, when dried, form the well known and incredibly expensive spice saffron. The cultivated true saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) is a plant that is grown for thousands of years but doesn't occur in nature. Another species, Crocus cartwrightianus is it's ancestral species and a true wild plant that can be found in Greece. This species produces the same red stigmas which can also be used as saffron but it's a bit smaller in all its parts. It is however easier to grow in northern climates and makes a good substitute. On Crete another species from this group is found. Crocus oreocreticus. It's rarer in cultivation but again perfectly useful for cooking."
Per Rogier van Vugt, the Head Gardener at the greenhouses at Leiden University and at Hortus botanicus Leiden, from Noordwijk, Zuid-Holla...Read More