Black Orchid Flower

Does The Black Orchid Flower Exist?

Is there such a thing as a black orchid flower?  Flowers are associated with the gentle pastel colours of spring and summer, or the darker hue flowers associated with passion, symbolised by the red rose given as a valentines present.  But a black orchid flower?  There are many variations of orchids, often called species of orchid.  The wide range of species is forever increasing as new hybrids are being formed all the time, both naturally and specifically grown by gardeners.

A black flower has the association of something mystical, so the idea of a black orchid flower is hugely appealing to many people; to some people the black orchid flower is as magical a symbol as the unicorn.  Orchids have the association of being exotic, so if you could add to this image one of mystical powers the plant would become even more special.

It is believed that there are no truly black flowers in nature, there are some of such a dark shade of purple that they appear black, but up close they are not.  The idea of a black orchid flower has all the appeal of an orchid, with the mystical image of the black colour.  It is this idea which leads the black orchid flower to be the topic of so many other artistic ventures; the perfume by Tom Ford, comic super heroes, a Doctor Who episode, and of course song lyrics.

If a black orchid flower is ever found or a hybrid created there will be great demand, not only for the plant, but also for the ability to use the image as it already carries so many associations.  The image of a black orchid flower is so powerful that most people would be very surprised to discover that there is no such flower!!!

If you are looking to create your millions, if you could create a hybrid black orchid flower and sell it to the highest bidder you would probably be sitting pretty for a fair few years!!!  There are ways of colouring flowers; the obvious one is the put a cut flower into water which is dyed the desired colour.  However, due the way in which orchids absorb moisture (i.e through the exposed roots) this is not very successful.  Also when you artificially dye a flower there colour spreads through the veins of the petals and does not create a solid colour, this means that the petals would never get to be truly black, they would simply have threads of black running though the original colour of the flower; hence the only way to create a black orchid is by contacting one of the artificial flower companies, some of whom (for a price) will create any type of silk flower you would like.