Crops Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)

Safflower has been known since ancient times as a source of orange and yellow dyes and food colourings, and more recently has been grown for the seeds, which yield an edible oil: some areas have been grown for this purpose in Southern Europe. Present interest centres on types with different fatty acid profiles in the seed oil, which are suitable for industrial use in products such as paints and varnishes.

This entry forms part of the publication Crops for Industry and Energy in Europe

References:

Hornok, L (Ed) (1992) Cultivation and Processing of Medicinal Plants. University of Horticultural Sciences, Budapest. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Langer, R H M & Hill, G D (1991) Agricultural Plants (2nd Edn) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Robellen, G, Downey, K R & Ashri, A (Eds) (1989) Oil Crops of the World: their Breeding and Utilisation. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Zohary, D & Hopf M (1988) Domestication of Plants in the Old World. Oxford: Clarendon Press.