ABSTRACT
Safflower, Carthamus tinctorius, L. is a winter annual that belongs to the family, Compositae, a diverse group of flowering plants that grow in many parts of the world. Sunflower, Helianthus annuus, and niger, Guizotia abyssinica, are two other oil-bearing members of the family. Except for its flower color, safflower resembles a thistle, and the commercial genus, C. tinctorius, is not a weed since it exists only as a cultivated crop.
