Crocus sativus

Diagnostic character combination

Require a documented combination of floral characters, with uncertainty retained when organs are missing or damaged.

1. What stamen count, tepal appearance and stigma branching are visible on the same intact flower? measurement
2. Which observed characters exclude Colchicum, and what additional evidence distinguishes other autumn-flowering Crocus species? boundary

Determination-to-corm link

Distinguish a corm linked to an identified flowering plant from one known only by its sales label.

1. Which flowering determination, accession or source record establishes this corm's claimed identity? provenance
2. Could mixed planting, lifting or repacking have broken the connection between the identification and this corm? boundary

Plantable corm condition

Record the evidence used to accept, hold or reject a corm for planting without assigning an unsupported universal size threshold.

1. What are the corm's mass, dimensions, firmness and visible bud condition at inspection? measurement
2. Which observed defects or locally validated criteria require holding this corm out of planting stock? action

Division and lineage

Maintain parentage and explicit counting boundaries when daughter corms become separate planting units.

1. Does this record follow one corm, an undivided clump or a lineage across successive corm generations? definition
2. Which daughter corms came from which mother corm or, where individual parentage is unknown, which source clump? provenance
3. What observed seasonal and physical conditions support lifting and separating this clump now? action

Current seasonal state

Represent overlapping organ states and the evidence separating dormancy, senescence and damage.

1. Which corm, shoot, flower and leaf stages are observed on this date? measurement
2. What evidence distinguishes normal dormancy or leaf senescence from loss of viability? boundary

Flowering versus establishment

Separate lack of flowers from lack of living plants and identify what a disappointing flowering result actually measures.

1. How many flowers appeared over what interval, per how many planted corms or established clumps? measurement
2. What planting date, corm-size record and previous flowering history accompany this result? provenance
3. What additional observations are needed before nonflowering warrants an intervention? action

Water and temperature context

Relate root-zone observations to organ stage and recent irrigation or weather.

1. What moisture, temperature and standing-water duration were measured at corm depth, and by what method? measurement
2. What local evidence supports changing watering, drainage or protection at the observed seasonal stage? action

Depth, density and setting

Keep planting choices tied to field, container or protected cultivation rather than presenting one recipe as universal.

1. What are the planting depth, its reference point, spacing and current corm density? measurement
2. Which local trial or cultivation record supports this arrangement for the site's climate and intended lifting interval? provenance

Damage pattern and cause

Separate observed lesions, tissue loss or wilting from unconfirmed explanations.

1. Which organs show abnormalities, how extensive are they, and how has their distribution changed? measurement
2. What inspection or diagnostic evidence distinguishes infection, animal damage, handling injury and environmental stress? boundary

Suspect stock handling

Preserve the relationship between symptoms, source lots and the decision to isolate, investigate or retain material.

1. Which source lot, shared storage or division event connects affected and apparently unaffected corms? provenance
2. What evidence justifies isolation, diagnostic sampling, continued observation or removal from propagation stock? action

Harvest readiness evidence

Tie the harvest decision to species determination, flower condition and relevant exposure records.

1. Is this flower linked to a supported C. sativus identification, and what is its opening and stigma condition? measurement
2. Do damage, contamination observations or treatment records require withholding this flower from the intended harvest? action

Stigma lot origin

Record what was removed, from where and when, without claiming that plant identity establishes finished-spice quality.

1. Which plants or bounded cohort supplied the harvested flowers or stigmas, and when were they removed? provenance
2. At what detachment or pooling event does a separate harvested-material record take ownership? boundary
3. Which organ-selection and exposure observations must accompany the material into processing? action

Kinds and varieties

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Iranian Khorasan commercial grades (Negin, Sargol, Pushal, Dasteh/Bunch), which dominate world supply
• Spanish Coupe and PDO Azafrán de La Mancha
• Kashmiri Mongra (stigma tips) and Lacha (stigma plus style)
• Greek PDO Krokos Kozanis
• Italian PDO saffrons of L'Aquila, San Gimignano and Sardinia
• Moroccan Taliouine saffron
• Afghan Herat saffron
• Ornamental autumn-flowering bulb clones sold in horticulture (same cultigen, not a separate spice race)

1. Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of Crocus sativus this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Identifiers and schemes

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Wikidata - Q1502807 - Taxon item for Crocus sativus, distinct from items for the spice commodity.
• NCBI Taxonomy - 82528 - Taxon ID for the plant.
• Botanical name (ICN) - Crocus sativus L., Sp. Pl. 36 (1753) - Accepted scientific name; no widely used botanical varieties in current checklists.
• Harmonized System - 0910.20 - HS heading for saffron (the dried stigmas), not for live corms.
• ISO 3632 grade - Category I, II or III - Trade grade of the dried spice by spectrophotometric colouring strength, flavour and aroma.

1. Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of Crocus sativus this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Standards and regulation

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• ISO 3632-1 and ISO 3632-2 - International Organization for Standardization: specification and test methods for saffron (Crocus sativus L.).
• EU protected designations of origin - European Union: Krokos Kozanis (Greece); Azafrán de La Mancha (Spain); Zafferano dell'Aquila, Zafferano di San Gimignano, Zafferano di Sardegna (Italy).
• National saffron standards - Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) and equivalent national spice standards in producing countries, typically aligned with ISO 3632.
• Food-law treatment as a spice/colouring food - national food authorities (e.g. FDA spice listing in the United States; general EU food-hygiene and contaminant rules): not a novel food; subject to moisture, filth, colour-additive and adulteration controls.

1. Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of Crocus sativus this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Real-world use

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Hand-harvest of three stigmas per flower at dawn in autumn, then drying, as the world's most expensive conventional culinary spice and food colour.
• Colour and flavour in rice, milk sweets, breads, seafood and festive dishes (Iranian, Spanish, Indian, Mediterranean and North African cookery).
• Traditional medicinal and ritual use of the dried stigmas (Persian, Ayurvedic, Chinese and liturgical contexts), at culinary or modest doses.
• Sale of corms as autumn-flowering ornamental bulbs in temperate gardens.
• Trace use of safranal-rich fractions in fragrance and of crocin as a natural colour in food and cosmetics.

1. Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of Crocus sativus this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Typical measurements

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Stigmas per flower - 3 - count
• Flowers needed for 1 kg dried saffron - about 150000-200000 - flowers·kg⁻¹
• Dried stigma yield - 2-12 (often 5-7 in commercial fields) - kg·ha⁻¹
• Flowering-size corm diameter - 25-50 - mm
• Moisture of dried saffron (ISO limit) - ≤12 (filaments often 8-12 in trade) - % mass
• Colouring strength (crocin, E1% 1 cm at 440 nm) - Category I ≥200; II ≥170; III ≥120 - dimensionless absorbance
• Flavour strength (picrocrocin, 257 nm) - Category I ≥70; II ≥55; III ≥40 - dimensionless absorbance
• Aroma strength (safranal, 330 nm) - 20-50 - dimensionless absorbance
• Somatic chromosome number - 2n = 3x = 24 - count
• Plant height at flowering - 10-30 - cm

1. Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of Crocus sativus this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Failure modes and hazards

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Adulteration of the spice with safflower florets, turmeric, dyed corn silk, gardenia yellow, synthetic dyes or mixed styles, which ISO 3632 and HPLC crocin profiles are meant to detect.
• Corm rot and necrosis in store or field (Fusarium, Penicillium, Rhizoctonia and related pathogens), worsened by the crop's clonal uniformity.
• Rain or dew during the short harvest window staining stigmas with pollen and dropping commercial grade.
• Overheating or slow moist drying, which drives off safranal or permits mould.
• Light and oxygen bleaching of crocins in poorly stored spice.
• High-dose traditional use as a uterine stimulant; culinary amounts are the intended food use, while concentrated doses are treated as a pregnancy hazard in materia medica.
• Occupational respiratory allergy in processors handling dry stigmas.
• Crop theft and substitution in the chain, reflecting extreme unit value.

1. Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of Crocus sativus this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Regional variation

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Iran (especially South and Razavi Khorasan) supplies most of the crop and grades by Negin, Sargol, Pushal and Bunch rather than the old Spanish Coupe/Mancha/Río/Sierra ladder.
• Kashmir distinguishes Mongra (deep-red tips) from Lacha (tips plus yellow style); local names include kesar and zafran.
• Spain and Greece sell under PDO names (La Mancha; Kozani/Krokos) with stricter origin and processing rules than bulk Iranian lots.
• Italy recognises three separate PDO zafferano origins with small, high-priced production.
• Morocco (Taliouine) and Afghanistan (Herat) are smaller but commercially recognised origins.
• English 'meadow saffron' for Colchicum autumnale remains a naming trap in Europe; Chinese fan hong hua in materia medica is usually imported C. sativus stigmas, not a local crocus crop.

1. Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of Crocus sativus this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Crocus cartwrightianus - Wild Aegean progenitor; typically fertile with seed set and shorter stigmas. C. sativus is male-sterile, autotriploid (2n=24) and known only from cultivation.
• Colchicum autumnale (meadow saffron / autumn crocus) - Colchicaceae, not Iridaceae: six stamens and three styles, no saffron aroma, colchicine-toxic. Do not harvest 'crocus' stigmas from colchicums.
• Other autumn garden crocuses (e.g. Crocus speciosus) - Branched or differently coloured styles, not the three long red cooking stigmas; grown as ornamentals, not as spice.
• Carthamus tinctorius (safflower, 'false saffron') - Tubular composite florets, not trifid Iridaceae stigmas; lacks safranal and the ISO 3632 crocin spectrum.
• Curcuma longa (turmeric) and other yellow colourants - Rhizome powder or gardenia/tartrazine dyes used to fake colour; separated by morphology of whole stigmas and by crocin/picrocrocin/safranal spectrophotometry or HPLC.

1. Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of Crocus sativus this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance