- Name: Safflower - Other Common Names: Sallflower / Beni / Chimichanga / Dyer’s Saffron / American Saffron - Scientific Name: Carthamus Tinctorius - Color: Yellow - Orange - Plant Seeds: Outdoors After Frost / Indoors Weeks Before Last Frost - Bloom Time: Mid Summer - Hardiness Zone: Annual / Biennial - Plant Height: 24 - 36" - Plant Spacing: 12 - 15" - Light Requirements: Sun - Part Shade - Soil & Water Preferences: Average - Quantity: 300 Seeds - Other: The Safflower Is A Mediterranean Native. It Is One Of The Oldest Crops Harvested By Humans And Was Uséd As A Dye By The Ancient Egyptians As Far Back As The 12th Dynasty . It’s Petals May Be Uséd As A Substitute For Saffron, And The Seeds Are Very Popular With Birds And Are Often Found In Birdseed Mixes. It Is Commercially Cultivated For Vegetable Oil (Safflower Oil) That Is Extracted From The Seeds. Dried Safflower Petals Are Uséd In A Wide Variety Of Herbal Remedies. Safflower Oil Is Also Being Looked At By The Bio-Diesel, Weight Loss, And Heart Disease Prevention Experts.