Safflower, Carthamus tinctorius, is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant in the sunflower family Asteraceae. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds and was used by the early Spanish colonies along the Rio Grande as a substitute for saffron. 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.
gamma-Linolenic acid or GLA is a fatty acid found primarily in seed oils. When acting on GLA, arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase produces no leukotrienes and the conversion by the enzyme of arachidonic acid to leukotrienes is inhibited.
Heneicosane is a straight chain saturated hydrocarbon with formula C21H44
The genus Carthamus, the distaff thistles, includes plants in the thistle family. The group is native to Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. The flower has been used since ancient times in the Philippines, which it has been called kasubha by the Tagalog people.
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the plant – on the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. These prickles are an adaptation that protects the plant from being eaten by herbivores. Typically, an involucre with a clasping shape similar to a cup or urn subtends each of a thistle's flowerheads.
Dit da jow is a common Chinese liniment used as a folk remedy to supposedly heal external injuries, such as bruises or sore muscles.
Carthamin is a natural red pigment derived from safflower, earlier known as carthamine. It is used as a dye and a food coloring. As a food additive, it is known as Natural Red 26.
Phytophthora megasperma is a species of water mould in the family Peronosporaceae. It is well known as a plant pathogen with many hosts. It often causes a plant disease called root rot.
In enzymology, a phosphatidylcholine desaturase (EC 1.3.1.35) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Carthamus lanatus is a species of thistle known as woolly distaff thistle, downy safflower or saffron thistle. It is closely related to safflower. This annual plant is a native of the Mediterranean Basin, but it is familiar in other places where it was introduced and has become a noxious weed, such as in parts of North America and southern Australia with similar climates.
Larinus curtus is a species of true weevil known as the yellow starthistle flower weevil. It is native to Southern Italy, Southern Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasuses. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed yellow starthistle in the United States.
Carthamus leucocaulos, the whitestem distaff thistle or glaucous starthistle, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family. It is native to Greece and the Aegean. It is known in California and Western Australia as an introduced species and a noxious weed.
Tsheringma is a herbal tea made in Bhutan. The name is derived from the Bhutanese goddess of longevity, wealth and prosperity.
Eublemma rivula is a species of moth of the family Erebidae first described by Frederic Moore in 1882. It is found in most of southeast Asia, including Hong Kong, India, Japan, the Society Islands, Taiwan and in Australia in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Queensland.
Carduncellus is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. They are native to the western Mediterranean and surrounding regions.
Ditaxis heterantha is a member of the plant family Euphorbiaceae and grows wild in Guanajuato, Mexico, where it is known as azafrán, azafrancillo, azafrán de bolita or saffron pellets and has several culinary uses, including as a substitute for saffron. Ditaxis heterantha is not related to true saffron nor to safflower, which also is used as a saffron substitute.
Chaetorellia succinea is a species of tephritid fruit fly that was accidentally released in 1991 into the United States and had since become one of the major biological pest controls against the noxious weed yellow starthistle.
The Teno massif is one of three volcanic formations that gave rise to Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It is located in the northwestern part of the island between the towns of Santiago del Teide, Los Silos, El Tanque and Buenavista del Norte. The volcanic massif, emerged during the last 5 to 7 million years, is furrowed by deep ravines and ends abruptly in the sea, in an area known as Los Gigantes, a series of high cliffs that plummet over the sea. The villages known as Masca, Teno Alto, Los Carrizales, El Palmar, Las Portelas and Las Lagunetas preserve the old agricultural traditions of Canary Islands.
Carthamus glaucus, the glaucous star thistle, is a species of plants in the thistle family. It is found in Israel, Lebanon and Egypt. It is also reported as an invasive species in Victoria, Australia.
