crocus flowers They are beautiful : they are characterized by bright colors, the purple of the petals, the yellow of the pollen, the red of the precious stigmata. The timing of saffron flowering is magical, as it is the culmination of a year of hard work growing crocus sativus plants.
If it were not so delicate, the crocus sativus flower would undoubtedly have greater aesthetic importance, but it is grown exclusively for the high value of the spice obtained.
Let’s discover some curiosities about the “anatomy” of this flower, about its picking and especially about the possible uses of the stigmas and petals. We will also see a small photo gallery of these splendid flowering plants, taken in the saffron field of Vallescuria in Brianza.
Contents [Ocultar]
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flower characteristics
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Pictures: flower pictures
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Flowering in the grove of crocuses
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The ornamental use of the flower
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The collection and value of the stigmata
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Stigmas
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The petals are also edible
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Contents
flower characteristics
Visually the saffron flower is three colors: purple, yellow and red each of these three color tones corresponds to a botanical function, we can then “break down” the anatomy of the flower into perigone, male reproductive organ and female reproductive organ.
The crocus sativus flower actually consists of an external part (the perigone) formed by six purple petals they have a protective function and contain the two real parts, which are the sexual organs of the plant. The function of the petal is to protect the stigmas and the pollen that it holds inside from atmospheric agents, at the same time that they must hatch and make them available to bees and bumblebees.
The male part is the pollen, which is found in the three anthers bright yellow.
the female part of the flower, on the other hand, is composed of the ovary, which has the stigmata as its receptive part. : three long red threads that join at the base of the flower in the stylet. The stigmas are sometimes mistakenly called pistils and have the task of collecting pollen.
The reproductive vocation of the crocus flower is however a failed evolution: the plant is in fact sterile and never produces flowers or seeds, the crocus sativus reproduces today thanks to the multiplication of its bulbs (which would be more correct to call bulbs, being a crocus). For this reason, do not look for saffron seeds because they do not exist, if you want to start growing this plant you must buy bulbs.
Pictures: flower picture
More than many descriptions or words worth putting some pictures beautiful crocus flowers. Flowering in the field is a wonderful sight, when the ground turns purple.