What Is A Black Orchid? Fascinating But Elusive
Does a black orchid flower really exist? If so, which orchids are considered to have the blackest flowers?
Are You Curious About Black Orchids?
These are questions that have been posed by orchid and flower enthusiasts for centuries.
Orchid growers and hobbyists have been trying to grow a black orchid for a very long time. The fact is, in nature, black flowers are rare. As a result, in the plant nursery world, there seems to have been a fascination for black anything.
We are, as human beings, drawn to the elusive and the rare. So growers strive for black gladiolus, canna lilies, calla lilies, and even black corn. The reality is that almost no plant in the world is truly black in color. Most are shades of deep blue, red, or purple. This is also true about orchid flowers. Growers and hybridizers have tried many different orchid plants and hybrid orchid varieties to get to a truly black flower.
While this color has been elusive in orchids, growers are pretty successful these days across several orchid genera.
The orchid that is considered the “original” one is Coelogyne pandurata. Another very dark maroon one is an Australian native orchid Cymbidium canaliculatum var. Sparkesii. Also notable for its dark color is Trichoglottis brachiata. These ones have been around for some time.
Among the most notable ones that are commercially available are from Sunset Valley Orchids. Fredclarkeara After Dark ‘SVO Black Pearl’ and Fredclarkeara After Dark ‘Black Diamond’ have some of the blackest orchid flowers seen by judges. And Fredclarkeara After Dark ‘Sunset Valley Orchids is a dark but spotted version of a similar plant.
There are also several Draculas that are very dark. Most notably, Dracula Raven and a seedling of Dracula roezlii that has an incredible 9-incher with a lovely pink lip. Stunning flower!
Other dark colored orchids include the Laeliocattleya Lc. Mem. Robert Strait ‘Blue Hawaii’, which has a dark purple lip. The Vanda David Gardner #1 has purplish areas under black speckles. There is a black tongued orchid, the Epigeneium amplum. Another example is the Liparis nervosa, a Japanese version of this orchid plant, but when you look at it, you can see it is not really black. In fact, none of these are. They were the industry’s attempt to find the elusive Black Orchid.
It is clear now that the Draculas and the hybrids from Sunset Valley Orchids are getting very close.
And so the quest goes on! Still fascinating and still exciting.
And after all, like most worthwhile journeys, it is about the JOURNEY, not just the destination.
