Morphology of Safflower

Local name: Kusum ful.

Botanical name: Carthamus tinctorius.

Family: Compositae.

Plant type: Highly branched, herbaceous, thistle like annual plant varying in height from 30-150 cm.

Root system: Has strong and thick taproot. There also some thin roots present laterally.

Stem: The stem branches prolifically near the top.
Thick at the base and tapering with height.

Leaf arrangement: The branched stem bear spirally arranged leaves .the leaves are sessile dark green with a pronounced mid rib. Leaves are toothed along their margins with short spines scattered along the margins. Lower leaves are generally spineless and in most varieties the upper leaves are strongly spined.

Inflorescence: Each branch terminates in a typical head type of inflorescence .The inflorescence is broad, flat, and slightly curved.

Flower: Flower is complete and perfect .The flower are of brilliant yellow to orange or orange red color, contents 20-100 individual florets each of which produces a seed.

Fruit: The fruit is smooth, shiny white ashen, very angular and nearly wedge shaped less than 1.5 cm in length.