'''Saffron''' is a spice derived from the flower of the '''saffron crocus''' (''Crocus sativus''), a species of [[crocus]] in the [[Iridaceae]] family. A ''C. sativus'' flower bears three [[gynoecium|stigma]]s, each the distal end of a [[carpel]]. Together with their [[style]]s—stalks connecting stigmas to their host plant—stigmas are dried and used in cooking as a seasoning and colouring agent. Saffron, long the world's most expensive spice by weight,<ref name="Rau_53">{{harvnb|Rau|1969|p=53}}</ref><ref name="Hill_272"/> is native to Southwest Asia.<ref name="Hill_272"/><ref name="Grigg_287">{{harvnb|Grigg|1974|p=287}}</ref> | '''Saffron''' is a spice derived from the flower of the '''saffron crocus''' (''Crocus sativus''), a species of [[crocus]] in the [[Iridaceae]] family. A ''C. sativus'' flower bears three [[gynoecium|stigma]]s, each the distal end of a [[carpel]]. Together with their [[style]]s—stalks connecting stigmas to their host plant—stigmas are dried and used in cooking as a seasoning and colouring agent. Saffron, long the world's most expensive spice by weight,<ref name="Rau_53">{{harvnb|Rau|1969|p=53}}</ref><ref name="Hill_272"/> is native to Southwest Asia.<ref name="Hill_272"/><ref name="Grigg_287">{{harvnb|Grigg|1974|p=287}}</ref> |