Saffron (trade) world trade. The cultivation of saffron in the Americas was begun by members of the Schwenkfelder Church in Pennsylvania. In recent decades cultivation has spread to New Zealand, Tasmania, and California. Iran has accounted for around 90–93 percent of recent annual world production and thereby dominates the export market on a by-quantity basis. Almost all saffron grows in a belt bounded by the Mediterranean in the west and mountainous Kashmir in the east. All other continents except Antarctica produce smaller amounts. In 1991, Some of whole threads and powder are gleaned yearly, of which is top-grade "coupe" saffron. Iran is
Saffron is present as 28% of the Daily Value, while other micronutrients have negligible content (table). One limited meta-analysis concluded that saffron supplementation improved symptoms in people with major depressive disorders. Another review of preliminary human research indicated that it may have effects on mild to moderate depression. The documented history of saffron cultivation spans more than three millennia. The wild precursor of domesticated saffron crocus is probably "Crocus cartwrightianus". If "C. sativus" is a mutant form of "C. cartwrightianus", then it may have emerged by human cultivators selectively breeding specimens for unusually long stigmas in late Bronze Age Crete. It