Saffron crocus group

[Croquin]

A short history of Saffron Walden: http://www.saffronwalden.gov.uk/Saffron_Walden_Town_Trail.pdf
We had some uncertainty in the discussion, at one point, about the historical reality of saffron cultivation in Saffron Walden.
This link to bring further information.

[BULBISSIME]

As saffron from Crocus sativus is not enough expensive, I suggest to use Crocus moabiticus to produce it 

[Croquin]

$$£€!

I don't really know what crocus used the ancient civilizations for saffron production, but some roman texts talk about wild saffron, which was preferred by consumers. Maybe you're correct 

[Afloden]

An interesting and free paper on the possible origin, or at least search for, of saffron; http://www.globalsciencebooks.info/JournalsSup/images/Sample/FPSB_4(SI2)1-14o.pdf


 Aaron

[Croquin]

B. Mathew has written somewhere that what was depicted in Minoan frescoes could well be the harvest of saffron from C. cartwrightianus because white flowers were also painted.

I am not convinced by a natural hybridization involving C. thomasii and C. cartwrightianus because of the geographical distribution of these two crocuses (map Fig 3 p 6, reference given by Aaron) - unless the crossing was man made and artificial, which is also possible, or unless C. thomasii was artificially cultivated with C. cartwrightianus in the same garden (after all, commercial exchanges existed and a certain degree of civilization existed in the empires of the past).

A natural mutation in C. cartwrightianus seems more plausible regarding genetic closeness with C. sativus and visual resemblance of the plants, am I wrong ?