See Saffron (disambiguation) for other usage. 
Crocus sativus, often known as the saffron crocus, has striking red stigmas and styles.
Dried saffron "threads" that are extracted from crocus blooms 
Saffron  is a spice made from the Crocus sativus flower, also called the "saffron crocus". The vibrant red stigma and styles, also known as threads, are gathered and dehydrated, mostly to be used as food coloring and spice. Gradually, the saffron crocus spread over much of Eurasia and then to sections of North Africa, North America, and Oceania. 
Saffron's flavor and aroma, akin to iodoform or hay, are derived from the phytochemicals picrocrocin and safranal. Additionally, it includes crocin, a carotenoid pigment that gives textiles and dishes a deep golden-yellow color.

Meaning and Origin 
Additional details: Saffron's past
The origin of the English term "saffron" is somewhat unknown. The term "safran" from the 12th century may have originated from the Latin word "safranum," which in turn came from the Arabic word "za'farān" ,[ which itself originated from the Persian word "zarparān" , which meant "gold strung" (implying either the golden stamens of the flower or the golden color it creates when used as a flavor).
Animal species 
Article principal: Crocus sativus 
Synopsis 
Flowers with Saffron 
Crocus blooms that produce stigmas of red saffron 
Onions with saffron 
Roses 
Unknown in the wild, the domesticated saffron crocus, or Crocus sativus, is a perennial plant that blooms in the fall. Likely deriving from the autumn-flowering Crocus cartwrightianus, which is native to mainland Greece, Euboea, and the eastern Mediterranean, it is also known as "wild saffron".

It is most likely descended from the autumn-flowering, eastern Mediterranean Crocus cartwrightianus, which is native to mainland Greece, Euboea, Crete, Skyros, and certain Cyclades islands. It is also known as “wild saffron”. C. thomasii and C. pallasii, two related species, were thought to be further potential ancestors. It was a genetically monomorphic clone that humans gradually spread over most of Eurasia, unable to produce seeds. Prior to this most recent study, saffron was thought to have originated in Mesopotamia, Greece, Iran, and Greece . as well as Kashmir.
Because it is a sterile triploid form, each specimen has three homologous sets of chromosomes, or a total of 24 chromosomal bodies. C. sativus has eight chromosomal bodies per set. The purple flowers of C. Sativus plants are unable to produce viable seeds, thus human help is necessary for reproduction. Subterranean, bulb-like corm clusters that store starch must be dug up, divided, and replanted. A corm can produce up to ten "cormlets" by vegetative division during its one-season lifespan, which can then develop into new plants the following year. The term "corm tunic" refers to the dense mat of parallel fibers that envelops the compact corms, which are tiny, brown globules with a flat base and a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in). Additionally, corms have thin, net-like vertical fibers that extend up to 5 cm (2 in) above the plant's neck.