The yellow and red petals of the flower can produce either colour depending on the dyeing process. Carthamin the red colouring substance is not soluble in water but dissolves in an alkaline aqueous solution, where safflower yellow is very soluble in even cold water. Mummies from Egyptian tombs have been found with bandages still dyed red with safflower and it is mentioned by Pliny in his Natural History. The yellow dye from safflower was long considered useless, whereas the red dye, safflower carmine, was highly valued, despite its poor lightfastness. Luxurious textiles contain safflower red, for example, the so-called Polish carpets from the 16th and 17th centuries. These famous silk carpets received their name in error at the World Exposition in Paris in 1878.
