ABSTRACT
The saffron crocus (Crocus sativus L.; Iridaceae), an herbaceous triploid geophyte, is used mainly as a source of secondary metabolites having aromatic and medicinal value. The plant develops annually from buds on the mother corm-a thickened stem, which acts as a resting, perennating storage organ. New corms form via the swelling of the basal internodes of main and axillary shoots. The corms are enclosed by leaves which dry at the end of the growing season, turning into papery scales or tunics (Warburg 1957, Mathew this volume).
