Black Safflower

Safflower

Safflower, also false saffron, is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant in the family Asteraceae. It is one of the world's oldest crops; today, it is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds. Plants are 30 to 150 cm tall with globular flower heads having yellow, orange, or red flowers. Each branch will usually have from one to five flower heads containing 15 to 20 seeds per head. Safflower is native to arid environments having seasonal rain. It grows a deep taproot which enables it to thrive in such environments.

Black

Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have often been used to describe opposites such as good and evil, the Dark Ages versus the Age of Enlightenment, and night versus day. Since the Middle Ages, black has been the symbolic color of solemnity and authority, and for this reason it is still commonly worn by judges and magistrates.

black

Adjective

1. Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless.
2. Without light.

Noun

1. The colour/color perceived in the absence of light, but also when no light is reflected, but rather absorbed.
2. A black dye or pigment.

safflower

Noun

1. A cultivated thistle-like plant, Carthamus tinctorius, family Asteraceae, now grown mainly for its oil.