9
NOTES ON THE SAFFRON PLANT (CROCUS
SATIVUS, L.), AND IN CONNECTION WITH
THE NAME OF THE TOWN OF SAFFRON
WALDEN.1
BY JOSEPH CLARKE, F.S.A.
"The rosy morn in saffron drest."
Taking into consideration the short space of time that, during a
day's excursion, can be allotted to the reading of papers, it would be
a work of supererogation to inflict an elaborate botanical description of
the plant saffron, which may be obtained from any herbal. It was
successfully cultivated in the neighbourhood of Walden for somewhat
over two centuries, but has disappeared for nearly half that period,
and though it has no pretension to be called indigenous, it finds
a place in every British flora and treatise on Medical Botany,
and even in the Pharmacopoeia, so unwilling are we to give up so
interesting a plant and sc charming a flower. The time of its
introduction into this country is not precisely known. As with many
other things, from a glimmering through the mist of ages past, it is
believed that the Romans brought it with them.2 The earliest
accounts make mention of it growing near a Roman road, running
through Essex. This might be Saffron Walden. As the modes of
cultivation have gone completely out of the memory of living man,
a brief description may not be uninteresting to even the most
scientific of the pilgrims of the gatherings of to-day. That the flower
and its accredited virtues had great attraction for the ancients is
certain. It is conjectured to be the Nepenthe of Homer, and
the Greek name is Krokos, signifying a thread, from the thread-like
appearance of the pistils, when dried for use. The name in Hebrew-
is Chorukim. Loudon derives the word from Chaldee, Krokice
The common name of the plant, with slight modifications, in
English, German, French, Dutch, and Spanish, is the same as the
Arabic Zahafran, which, with the Z softened into S, and pronounced
quickly, would be exactly similar to our word.3 That the plant was
held in high repute at an early date by the people of the East, is to
1 This paper was kindly written specially for the Meeting of the Club at Saffron Walden, on
April 14th, 1884, by the venerable author, who is so well known as a local archaeologist and
naturalist. We are indebted to Prof. Boulger for several notes and memoranda used in passing
this paper through the Press.—Ed.
2 Cole, "Adam in Eden," 1657.
3 "Crocus is named in greeke Crokos, in englishe saffron or safforne, in dutche saffran, in
frenche safrone, it is hote in the second degree and dry in the fyrst." Turner, "Names of
Herbes" (1548).