A pound of dry saffron ( 0.45 kg ) requires 50,000 â `` 75,000 flowers . These flowers would need about a football field 's area of cultivation . A pound ( 454 grams ) of dry saffron requires 50,000 â `` 75,000 flowers , the equivalent of a football field 's area of cultivation ( 110,000-170 ,000 flowers or two football fields for a kilogram ) .