Crocus sativus has begun blooming at the Hongtai Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative located in Jiading New Town.
The plant is best known for producing saffron, a type of spice made from filaments that grow inside the flower. In traditional Chinese medicine, saffron is used to invigorate the blood, remove stagnation, clear the meridians, and release toxins.
Last year, Jiading New Town, Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Co, and the Hongtai Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative experimented with planting tons of crocus sativus seed balls, which has proved successful thus far.
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A worker picks crocus sativus flowers at the Hongtai Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn] |
The plant is being grown soil-free on shelves in special greenhouses in the Hongtai Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative.
"We control the cultivation process by adjusting the humidity and temperature of the greenhouse air," said a worker at the cooperative.
According to the cooperative, Shanghai was the first place that crocus sativus was successfully grown in China. After several decades of development, a mature cultivation model was gradually formed in Shanghai's Chongming Island. The Hongtai Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative is following this same model.
"Last year we produced about 3.5 kilograms of saffron, and this year we're expecting 5 kg," said Hu Yueming, a manager from the Hongtai Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative.
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Saffron, extracted from crocus sativus flowers. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn] |