An archaic or alternative spelling of carthamus or safflower, a plant with yellow and red flowers used historically for dyes and oil.
From Arabic 'qurthum,' the name of the safflower plant, arriving in English through medieval trade and botanical texts.
Carthame was so valued in medieval Europe for producing a red dye that it was sometimes called 'poor man's saffron,' making it an economically important crop for textile workers who couldn't afford genuine saffron.
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