Safflower Seed

Safflower seed is the seed of the safflower plant, Carthamus tinctorius, a thistle-like annual grown across warm, dry climates worldwide. The seed is pressed to produce safflower oil, a widely used cooking and industrial oil, while the plant's dried orange-red flowers have long served as a lower-cost dye and a substitute for saffron in cooking and textiles. Whole safflower seeds are also sold as bird feed, prized for their thick hull that discourages squirrels, and in some regions the seeds are roasted and eaten directly as a snack in the same way sunflower seeds are.