Which plant produces the spice saffron from its stigmas?

The plant that produces the spice saffron from its stigmas is Crocus sativus, commonly called the saffron crocus.

Crocus sativus is a cultivated autumn-flowering perennial in the iris family, Iridaceae. Each purple flower produces three long, vivid red-orange stigmas. These are carefully removed, dried, and sold as saffron threads. The spice’s intense color, aroma, and flavor come from compounds concentrated in these tiny floral structures.

Saffron crocus is unusual because it is sterile and does not reproduce normally by seed. Farmers propagate it through underground corms, which are divided and replanted. Harvesting is labor-intensive: each flower supplies only three stigmas, and tens of thousands of flowers may be needed to produce a pound of dried saffron. Cultivation and saffron use have continued across cultures for more than 3,500 years.

Crocus sativus is sometimes confused with Colchicum autumnale, which is also called autumn crocus or meadow saffron. Colchicum is unrelated, has six stamens rather than three, and is toxic. The true saffron crocus has three stamens and one style that divides into three edible spice-bearing stigmas.