Dark Flowers - the Blackest of Blooms
And a Few Near-Dark Blossoms to Create Drama in the Garden
Aug 1, 2009
So - there is one true black flower in the world – but there are some that come very close – and others that most of us squint and agree to call black even if they are maroon or purple or dark blue. So don't despair.
A true black flower reflects no light back to our eyes and so appears completely without color. Experts have granted this quality to only one flower, Lisianthus nigrescens, la Fleur de Muerto, (flower of death) which is native only to the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas in Mexico. It is apparently very fussy about its habitat, because since its first documentation in 1831, recorded collections of this blackest of all flowers number less than two dozen worldwide.
Nearly True Black
There are several flowers that most certainly look black to the naked eye, even if they do scientifically reflect red, blue or purple light back to us. The reflection is scarcely noticeable.
- Two arums, A. dioscordis liepoldtii and A. palestinum are such extremely dark purples that they appear black-black to those who grow them, at least when they first open. As they fade, the purple becomes more apparent.
- A few violas are so deep in color as to appear inky black, most notably V. ‘Zorro’, V. Molly Sanderson and V. Bowles Black.
- The German Iris ‘Before the Storm’, ‘Around Midnight’, ‘Anvil of Darkness’ ‘Black Tie Affair’ and ‘Old Black Magic’ are dark enough to fool the eye of all but the fussiest black seekers.
- Iris chrysographes ‘Black Night’ is another inky black looking flower, as is the Louisiana iris, ‘Black Gamecock.’ In fact of all the common garden flowers, irises are probably the most satisfactorily dark. Too bad their growing season is so brief.
Blackish Reds
- Once again, bearded irises lead the pack in deep, blackish red flowers. Among the best are I. ‘Black Fantasy’, I ‘Black Hope’, I. ‘Elizabeth Carol’ and I. ‘Little Blackfoot.’
- Zantedeschia ‘Black Forest’ – a deep red calla lily is sometimes called black – but it’s not, really.
- Several roses are dark enough to sometimes be called black, among them the moss rose ‘Nuits de Young’, a Meideland rose, ‘Black Baccara’, the miniature ‘Black Jade’ and R. ‘Love’s Promise’ which is a black red with a raspberry scent. Perhaps the darkest rose is R. ‘Ink Spots’, which is described as sooty black over fiery red.
- Many hemerocallis (daylilies) are reddish black. The darkest of these are said to be H. ‘Bela Lugosi’, H. ‘Africa’, H. ‘Ed Murray’, H. ‘Respighi’ and H. ‘Smith Brothers.’ although there are several others that are satisfactorily dark.
- Two hollyhocks, Althea ‘Cherry Cola’, and ‘Nigra’ also known as the 'Watchman’ are a deep, deep burgundy that could qualify for a “black” garden.
Purple Black Flowers
Of the anthocyanin pigments that produce deep color in plants, the blues and purples seem to dominate, as there are many more blue-purple and purple blacks than any other near black color. Here is a list of some of the deeper ones.
- Eminium rauwolfii – a gorgeous deep purplish black arum with very velvet black spathes. They require dryness which is one reason they are not exactly a household word.
- Iris ‘Around Midnight’, which is dark purple with an ebony shine to it. Iris ‘Black Dragon’ is described as velvety, deep dark blue black. Iris ‘Witch’s Sabbath’ is deep purple black with a dark purple beard.
- Rosa ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’ is a deep purple Gallica rose. R.' Deuil de Paul Fontaine’ is another dusky purple moss rose. Even deeper is the moss rose ‘Nuits de Young’ which is a purplish black.
- Tulips in the deep purple family are also fairly common. Among the best are T. ‘Black Diamond’, ‘Black Hero’, ‘Black Swan’, and ‘Queen of the Night’
- Aquilegia (columbine) have a few candidates for the black garden. A. attrata is close to black, but A. ‘Black Barlow’ looks more like a deep purplish gray. A. ‘William Guinness’ (sometimes called Magpie) is black and white – perhaps it is the white contrast which makes the purple coloring look so deep.
This is only a small sampling of the many deep colored flowers available that could contribute mightily to a dramatic looking garden. Just make sure to contrast the deep flowers with bright foliage or you run the risk of looking funereal. For fun, why not try mixing deep colored flowers with white foliage. Now that’s drama!
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