The botanical genus name Carthamus derives from the Arabic verb qurtum [قرطم] “dye”, in reference to the usage of safflower flowers for textile dyeing. The word also entered some Romance tongues, e.g., Italian cartamo or Catalan càrtam, probably via Spanish cártamo; Turkish kartam, on the other hand, is likely to be a direct loan from Arabic.

With glowing, golden orange, fluffy pompom flowers, a little like thistles but much friendlier without the spines. This uniform and easy to grow border annual flowers over a long season providing lots of interest and charm. It has been used for centuries Grows to a height of 48in. (120cm) and a spread of 40in. (100cm)