Crocus Sativus

In the Cork Oak Garden (Giardino della Sughera) of Boboli, within a raised bed containing espaliers with bitter orange trees, the Zima of Florence is cultivated, that is, the renowned saffron cultivated in the Florentine hilly countryside. The precious spice extracted from its trifid stigma is used in cooking and pharmacopoeia. It is one of the most exquisite varieties of saffron at world level and dates back to the 15th century, as attested in a letter sent by Bartolomeo Ammannati to Cosimo I de' Medici in 1563.