Carthamus dentatus (Καλοκαιρινό) is a kind of safflower which spread from the Near East to Egypt, the Aegean and Southeastern Europe. Well adapted to drought and salinity and thus to arid conditions, it still grows in the wild.

In Crete, a few people still gather it and mostly eat it together with legumes and eggs. It is a rich source of protein, vitamin A, iron and calcium, and has antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticholesterol and liver-protective properties.

Image: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK