Black Flowers Meaning

Black is a rare color to see in flowers. Black is strong, mysterious, powerful and unique in meaning. Black has always negative meaning and ominous connotations but despite the belief, it is the symbol of rebirth and rejuvenation. The flowers are mainly used for ornamental purposes and add a surprise element to the garden. The flowers need proper soil, light and humidity levels to blossom. It is important to note that there are rarely black flowers in nature and they are usually deep shades of purple or red. When added to a floral display or arrangement, they add mystery to the overall appearance.

If you aren’t sure if the flowers of a plant are going to be black or not, the words in their names such as Night, Chocolate or Black would help you figure it all out. If you want to use black blooms in a fresh flower bouquet or display, pair them with lighter shades to make them look even darker. The contrast helps the display to look better and make black blooms even darker.

Is there any True Black Flower?

We got the original black flower as Black Velvet petunia.  The breeders took four years to come up with the really velvety and ‘blacker’ flower that seems to look distinctive and darker than its peers. However, if you observe it more closely and impartially, it has a dark purple shade and not black.

There are about over 3,000 flowers with dark petals, resembling black in certain light but there a few rare cultivars such as Queen of Night, the black tulip, Guinee, Black Baccara roses with deep, almost-black red color that give the impression of black.

The flowers from Iris and Viola families have darker petals. Iris chrysographes has black petals and gold veins on them, making them striking, mysterious and fascinating at the same time.

Are there any Black Roses?

There are many genetically modified species of black roses such as Black Prince and Black Baccara with deep purple and dark maroon shades that look almost black in the light.

Types of Black Flowers

Queen of the Night Tulip

As we said earlier, despite several attempts, we don’t have real black flowers. However, Queen of the Night, a cultivar of tulips, has a deep purple shade that makes them a sought after variety. The flowers look very classy and distinguished in their appearance. The stunning flowers stand out in the garden and in a floral appearance; they look beautiful with lighter shades. Besides, despite being looking so exquisite, they are low-on-maintenance.

Calla Lily

The trumpet-shaped flower has a deep purple shade that looks black in some light. It adds dramatic appeal to your garden and looks really good with lighter shades. The purple calla lily symbolizes resurrection and rebirth, making it an ideal flower for your loved ones and friends who are recuperating after a long bout of illness or looking for a ray of hope. Since they have a trumpet-like shape, they are also related to victory. Calla lily can also be seen in paintings and depiction of Virgin Mary for; they depict resurrection, faithfulness, and purity.

Black Baccara Rose

The black rose meaning has dramatic and appealing. With a deep purple shade and green, almost red foliage, the flowers look stunning. The flowers also have very beautiful and soothing fragrance.

Bat Orchid

It is usually grown as novelty plant but this plant isn’t for weak hearted. Tacca Chantrieri is an orchid and mainly popular as the black bat flower. The black flowers are quite black and can be spooky as they are bat-shaped and quite different from what you have been seeing so far. The flowers are a commonplace sighting on Malaysia, Thailand and Southern China. The plant requires well-mulched soil, high humidity, and well-drained soil to blossom. The flower is also supposed to have cancer-fighting properties as well.

Black Dahlia

Los Angeles’ most notorious and grisly murder case was named after the flower. The flowers are deep red that lingers on the black shade. Researchers from Austria’s Vienna University of Technology were successful in analyzing the pigment of plant metabolite also called flavonoid, which is responsible for the color of dahlias. Scientists have also figured out that the deep and dark shade of red is due to the higher amount of anthocyanins. Since dahlias are available in various colors, the flower stands for diversity and unity.

Black Petunia

Petunia is a very common flower but black petunia is a novelty. The flower was developed by Ball Colegrove, a leading flower breeding company in the year 2010. Advertised with the catch line, ‘Black goes with everything,’ the flower has become much sought after with professional garden centers and gardeners. The black petunia was created by mixing pollens in several attempts.

Hellebore Black Flower

Hellebore is usually in pink and white. However, there is a rare, deep purple shade also available that brings this perennial plant in the category of black flowers. The black hellebore is, however, toxic. The flowers blossom in early spring and require full sun as well as well-drained soil.

Black Pansy

The black pansy flowers actually have a deep and somber shade of purple. It is usually grown for its dramatic appearance. The flower bed could really look gorgeous with a hint of novelty with black pansy flowers.

Black Widow Flower

The flower is also called mourning widow or dusky crane’s bill. This herbaceous plant is native to Western, Central and Southern Europe. The dark violet flowers look ominous due to crinkly edges, pointed tips and blotched brown leaves.

Chocolate Cosmos

Chocolate Cosmos usually have dark red color and are native to Mexico. However, they are being declared extinct. They were brought into cultivation in the year 1902 by a single clone, via vegetation propagation. The plant is a perennial and the blooms exude vanillin like fragrance, which becomes quite pronounced as the day passes. Since the `flowers don’t have seeds, they aren’t self-fertile. You need to propagate by tuber division or rely on tissue culture.

Chocolate Lily

Chocolate lilies are also called mission flowers because of their distinct shape.  The flower has an odd scent whereas one of the species, which it is always confused with, Arthropodium strictum, has chocolate like fragrance. The color of the flowers are dark brown, almost like chocolate and hence, the name. What the flower lack in fragrance department, it makes up for it in the looks department. There are one other species, which is found in Alaska known as Kamchatka fritillary.

Black Hollyhock

The near-black flowers are deep purple with a hint of red. The distinctive appearance of flowers makes them perfect for potting and container gardening.The plant is a hardy and it can survive difficult weathers too. Hollyhock as another species called Hollyhock Nigra, which is also known for its black flowers that are a deep shade of chocolate. The best part is since these flowers are easy on maintenance; you can grow them in your garden easily.

Nigra Hollyhock is a very popular variety with historical garden. The rich-colored flowers were mentioned in 1629 and they were also seen in the Monticello gardens of Thomas Jefferson. Black Hollyhock is probably one of the rarest flowers that can look almost black in certain lights.