218 POPULAR ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



stuff in this country. It is however much used as a colour- 

 ing ingredient in food and medicine, and many medicinal 

 virtues have been attributed to it, both by the ancients and 

 moderns. It is of very ancient repute, being first mentioned 

 by Solomon in his " Song," chap. iv. ver. 14 : " Spike- 

 nard and saffron ; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of 

 frankincense ; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices/'' 

 Homer alludes to it in the Iliad ; and that it was familiarly 

 known to the Eomans is evidenced by the frequent allusions 

 we find in their classical writings to this substance. Thus 

 its medicinal properties are alluded to when Propertius 

 says, "Et crocino nares myrrheus ungat onyx;" and Ca- 

 tullus alludes to the dyeing quality, and speaks of saffron- 

 coloured tunics, " tunica crocina." Yirgil very often alludes 

 to it ; once he says, " Circumtextum croceo velamen acan- 

 tho." Our English word Saffron is derived from the Ara- 

 bians, who called it Zafaran. 



Formerly, saffron was extensively cultivated in England, 

 especially in Essex : the name of the town Saffron Walden 

 arose from that place being one of the chief marts for this 

 article. 



The common crocus is a native of Asia Minor, but it has 

 become naturalized over most parts of Europe, and in this 



