N. 0. IRlDEyE. 1273 



bearded claw, blotched with darker lilac ; beard of the claw of 

 yellow tipped hairs on a white crest ; blade of petals erect, |in. 

 broad, oblong. Style arms fin. long ; crests deltoid, acute. 

 Capsule l-2in., ellipsoid or sub-globose beaked, trigonous, angle 

 obtuse. Don describes the sepals as blood-red, with black-purple 

 spots. (J. D. Hooker.) 



Use : — In Chuinba, the root and the leaves are given in fever. 

 f Stewart.) 



1258. Crocus sativus, Linn., h.f.b.l, vi., 276. 



Sans. : — Kunkuma. 



Vern. :— Kesar Jafran (B.J ; Kesar, zafran (H.) ; Sarfran, 

 keshar, (Bomb.) ; Kungumapu (Tarn.) ; Kunkum, apave (Tel.); 



Habitat : —Cultivated in Kashmir.* Native of the south of 

 Europe. The best saffron comes to Bombay from Spain. J. D. 

 Hooker has the following note: — " The Kashmir saffron is regard- 

 ed by Royle as a variety of that cultivated in England, 

 distinguished by the very dark violet-blue flowers, yellow 

 anthers and brick-red stigmas, but this accords exactly with 

 the common form, figured by Bentley and Trimen." 



* The Orocus sativus is the only plant grown in Kashmir the stigmata of 

 which compose hay saffron. The famous saffron fields are situated in the 

 vicinity of Pampur, on a plain fully 50 feet above the valley. The bulbs grow 

 on soil said to have been specially imported for the purpose. In dry seasons 

 the produce averages nearly a ton quantity. Some 1500 lbs. of saffron are 

 exported yearly from Kashmir to Ladakh. The bulbs are planted out in 

 June, and the stigmata are collected in October. It tinges the saliva yellow. 

 Pereira makes one grain of good saffron to contain the stigmata and styles 

 of nine flowers, so that the formation of an ounce would require 4,320 flowers. 



The four stations for saffron cultivation, called " Warewas," are flat 

 treeless tablelands, on the borders of the hills, 50 to 150 feet higher than the 

 Kashmir Valley, which is 5,200 feet above the sea-level. They are little, 

 if at all, irrigated. The soil is a stiff clay. Dr. Downes has been informed 

 that saffron has been successfully cultivated in the gardens of the city of 

 Kashmir. He does not think a special soil needed for cultivation of Crocus 

 sativus. In a hopeful experiment of this kind at Alwar, near Delhi, Mr. Landseer 

 started bulb-growing on earth brought in barrels from Kashmir. But in the 

 second year the five beds of bulbs had increased to nine, and as there was 

 no further import of Kashmir, earth, native soil had to be used, and with 

 success. In Kashmir the C. sativus is cultivated on raised parterres, well 

 drained and carefully weeded, though Dr. Downes believes not irrigated. 

 (Ph. J. 9-7 1881 p. 9). 

 160 



