Safflower
A thistle-like plant whose petals yield red and yellow dyes
No single value: Safflower is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, yellow.
Safflower is a spiny, branched plant with yellow, orange or red flower heads. Its petals have long been used to produce red (carthamin) and yellow dyes for textiles and food, often as a substitute for saffron. The plant is now mainly grown for its oil-rich seeds, but its colourful petals remain valued in traditional crafts and cooking.
- Safflower petals yield both red and yellow dyes
- Used as a saffron substitute in food and dyeing
- Traces found in ancient Egyptian textiles
- Now mainly grown for oil-rich seeds
What colour is Safflower?
Safflower is a tall, spiny plant with many branches and flower heads that can be yellow, orange or red. The petals contain natural dyes: a red called carthamin and two yellow dyes. These colours set safflower apart from other dye plants, as both red and yellow can be obtained from a single flower. White and cream forms also exist, but the coloured varieties are most valued for dyeing and food.
Where does Safflower come from?
The name 'safflower' comes from Dutch, German and Old French words, influenced by 'saffron' and 'flower'. The plant was first grown in Mesopotamia, with evidence of use in Egypt as early as the Twelfth Dynasty. Its petals have long been used as a cheaper alternative to saffron, and its cultivation spread from the Middle East to India, China and beyond.
How is Safflower made?
To make dye, the petals are collected and dried. The red and yellow pigments can be extracted and used to colour textiles and food. Safflower dye was especially important before synthetic dyes became common. The seeds are now mostly pressed for oil, but the petals are still used in traditional dyeing and as a saffron substitute.
Where Safflower is used
Safflower dyes have coloured textiles since ancient times, with traces found in Egyptian fabrics. The petals are also used in cooking, especially as a saffron substitute in places like New Mexico and Israel. Safflower oil is now a major product, but the plant's colourful petals remain important in traditional crafts and foods.
Yellow around the world
What the yellow family means from country to country.
Yellow was the emperor's colour. Under the Ming and Qing dynasties bright yellow robes and yellow glazed roof tiles, as on the Forbidden City, were reserved for him.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Color in Chinese culturePeople wear yellow for Vasant Panchami, the spring festival of the goddess Saraswati. Before many weddings, turmeric paste is rubbed on the bride and groom in the haldi ceremony.
Sacred and holyFestival and celebrationWeddings and marriageJoySource: Vasant PanchamiOn New Year's Eve many people wear yellow underwear to bring money in the year ahead, and red to bring love.
Luck and prosperitySource: New Year's EveA yellow ribbon tied round a tree or pinned to a coat means someone is waiting for a loved one to come home. It spread during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979 to 1981.
Protection and healingLove and desireHopeSource: Yellow ribbonSchool buses across the country are painted one shade of yellow, agreed at a conference in 1939 because black lettering on it is easy to read in early morning light.
Protection and healingSource: School bus yellowThe yellow disc of the Aboriginal flag is the sun, giver of life. The flag was designed by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas and first flown in Adelaide in 1971.
Sacred and holySource: Australian Aboriginal flagShades and relatives of Safflower
Safflower flowers can be yellow, orange, red, white or cream, depending on the variety. The red dye, carthamin, and the yellow dyes can be separated from the same petals. Safflower is sometimes confused with saffron, but the two come from different plants and produce different colours and flavours.
Questions people ask about Safflower
What colour is safflower dye?
Safflower petals produce both a red dye (carthamin) and two yellow dyes. The flowers themselves can be yellow, orange or red, depending on the variety.
Where does the name 'safflower' come from?
The name comes from Dutch, German and Old French words, influenced by 'saffron' and 'flower'. It has been used in English since the 16th century.
What is safflower used for?
Safflower is used for its oil-rich seeds and for the dyes in its petals, which colour textiles and food. The petals are also used as a cheaper substitute for saffron.
How old is safflower dye?
Safflower is one of the oldest crops, with evidence of its use as a dye in Egypt as early as the Twelfth Dynasty (1991โ1802 BC).
Good reading and sources
- Safflower on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Safflower", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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