Saffron, stigmas of the purple crocus flower, is one of the most intriguing plants on Earth. It only blooms once a year and has only three stigmas when it does, making it one of the world’s most expensive spices by weight. It takes about 170,000 flowers to produce a single pound of saffron.
Saffron is primarily grown in Iran but is also cultivated in Afghanistan, Italy, Morocco, Spain, the Netherlands and the U.S. It is usually hand harvested, not mechanically harvested, adding to its significant cost.