Safflower/Kusumful
Thursday 13 August 2015
Other Local Name :
Botanical Name : Carthamus tinctorius
Family : Asteraceae
Main Use : Medicine/flower
Other Uses : Medicine/flower
Know More
Safflower is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle - like annual plant. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seed. The plants are 30 - 150 cm tall. The flower heads have yellow, orange, or red flowers. Each branch has one to five flower heards with 15 - 20 seeds per heard.
The plant is cultivated mainly for the vegetable oil extracted from the seeds. Safflower seed oil is flavorless and colorless and nutritionally similar to sunflower oil. It is mainly used as a cooking oil and in cosmetics.
safflower flowers are sometimes used in cooking as a cheaper substitute for saffron. The dried flowers are also used as a natural textile dye.