SAFFRON ( Song of Solomon 4:14 ). The Heb. karkôm is identical with the Arab [Note: Arabic.] , kurkum or za’farân ) (whence is derived the Eng. ‘saffron’), the name of a variety of crocus ( Crocus sativus ), of which the yellow styles and stigmas are used for dyeing and for flavouring food. A similar dye, also called saffron, is more commonly derived from the florets of the Carthamus tinctorius ( CompositÅ“ ) cultivated everywhere in Palestine for this purpose.
E. W. G. Masterman.