Another sign of spring

Another sign of spring

Following on from last weekend’s catkins (posts passim), another sign of spring has just emerged: the croci (or crocuses) have burst into flower in the pocket park in Chaplin Road, Easton. On a bright, sunny day the flowers shine like beacons.

crocus in flower

Although not native to the British Isles, crocus sativus, the saffron crocus, has long been cultivated for the spice saffron.

Indeed, such cultivation has given rise to some place names. For starters, there’s Saffron Walden in Essex, as well as Croydon in the sprawl of Greater London.

As regards the latter, the theory accepted by most philologists is that the name Croydon derives originally from the Anglo-Saxon croh, meaning “crocus”, and denu, “valley”, indicating that it was a centre for the cultivation of saffron. It has been argued that this cultivation is likely to have taken place in the Roman period, when the saffron crocus would have been grown to supply the London market, most probably for medicinal purposes, and particularly for the treatment of granulation of the eyelids.

The croci shown above are not saffron crocus, but are still a welcome sight. On a sunny day the air inside the flower cup of the crocus is said to be some degrees warmer than the surrounding air, making it a welcome place to visit for early pollinating insects.

Author: Steve Woods

Generic carbon-based humanoid life form.

2 thoughts on “Another sign of spring

  1. Hilary Midgley

    So warming and pleasing to the eye.

    What I would like to know is: how and when did people discover that saffron is good to colour and flavour rice and other dishes?

    How did they discover that it was good for eyes?

    1. Steve Woods Post author

      Hi Hilary

      Saffron cultivation has been traced back more than 3,500 years and originated either in Crete or Central Asia.

      As regards cultivation in the British Isles, this is believed to have been introduced by the Romans.

      Turning to the plant’s medical uses, Wikipedia has a good article on saffron’s trade and use, which states:

      Saffron’s folkloric uses as an herbal medicine are legendary and legion. It was used for its carminative (suppressing cramps and flatulence) and emmenagogic (enhancing pelvic blood flow) properties. Medieval Europeans used it to treat respiratory disorders — coughs and colds, scarlet fever, smallpox, cancer, hypoxia, and asthma. Other targets were: blood disorders, insomnia, paralysis, heart diseases, stomach upsets, gout, chronic uterine haemorrhage, dysmorrhea, amenorrhea, infant colic, and eye disorders. For the ancient Persians and Egyptians saffron was an aphrodisiac, a general-use antidote against poisoning, a digestive stimulant, and a tonic for dysentery and measles. European practitioners of the archaic and quixotic “Doctrine of Signatures” took its yellowish hue as a sign of its putative curative properties against jaundice.

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