Types of Orchids

The Mystery Behind The Black Orchid

10 Comments

Elusive Black Orchid

The color black has been associated with everything mystical, supernatural and even evil things. In the old days black flowers were believed to have evil powers that were used by witches in their magic. But do these black flowers really exist? Is the black orchid real? And has anyone ever seen one in person?

The truth is if we are talking about black flowers alone, yes, there are plenty of them. Some of them may not really be as black as they claim to be. Some colors are near black such as deep purple or violet. But at first glance, they might look black. The name “black orchid” on the other hand, is claimed by many species of orchids. And if you check them out, none of them are really black.

Upon searching Wikipedia alone, you will see around 10 species of orchids on the list. Upon checking each one, I did not find a single orchid that has a pure black flower. Most of these orchids do have a single characteristic that are of the color black – a black lip, petals with black stripes or spots – but none of them really look black.

One of the blogs I recently read said that their country’s national flower is the famous black orchid. The picture on the other hand shows nothing of a black orchid. The species it is talking about is the Prosthechea cochleata. It didn’t mention why it was named that way, and there were no signs of it being black at all.

Meanwhile, the Coelogyne pandurata is one species of orchid from Borneo that is also called the “black orchid”. This one does have something black in its flower – its lips, which in contrast with its light green petals stand out.

The frustration might be getting to you, as it obviously is getting to me, but I have yet to see a real black orchid. If you think about it, there are so many hybrids of orchids in the world there might be one that is really black.

Some people may really have black orchids in their garden, and I imagine these are great conversation starters. But until I see it with my own two eyes, I have yet to prove the existence of these orchids. Until then black orchids are nothing but a myth.

Have you ever seen a truly black orchid? Do you think they exist? Leave us a comment below.

Before you buy an orchid of any color, here are questions you should always as the orchid growers.

Your Comments

10 Comments so far

  1. Clair Betters says:

    I simply want to mention I am new to weblog and really enjoyed you’re web site. Very likely I’m going to bookmark your blog post . You definitely have really good writings. Thanks a bunch for sharing your webpage.

    • Mary Ann says:

      Thank you very much, Clair. We appreciate your kind comments. Please visit us often, and let us know what you think and how your orchids are doing. – Mary Ann

  2. Phillip says:

    Yes it’s called Fdk After Dark SVO I have 1. There kinda pricey to.

    • Mary Ann says:

      Thanks for your comment, Phillip! Those are quite lovely actually. I just did a search. Do you have any pictures of yours? – Mary Ann

  3. Maria says:

    My husband has one
    We got it at the Fort Lauderdale Orchid Show in Florida

  4. Russell Eroro. says:

    i have seen one black orchid.

    • Mary Ann says:

      Cool – where were you? Do you know what kind of orchid it was? Were you able to get a picture? 🙂 Thanks! – Mary Ann

  5. Jonathan says:

    Yes witch craft ctsm milleniuum witch craft. Gt pics


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