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Black Orchids! Do they really exist?

© Linda Fortner

For years there have been many strange and mysterious stories about black orchids. They have been written about in witchcraft, mysteries, legends, comics, myths, and elsewhere. Are there really orchids that are black? I think that will depend on what you consider "black." Can a deep purple color, dark as night be considered black? Many orchids are called "black" because they may have black bars, lips, or petals on them.

Liparis nervosa (PHOTO) means "black orchid" in Japanese, but as you can see by the photo of Liparis it is really not black. If you have read the book Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean you may have read where she claims that there are no black orchids. Take a look at Paphiopedilum Kangi "Candor Kohl" pictured here and tell me that flower is not black!

For hundreds of years hybridizers have been trying to produce "black" flowers. Tulips, roses, hollyhocks, gladiolus, canna lilies, and yes, even black corn and radishes. So it is no wonder that orchids are also on the list. What is it about a "black" flower that tends to intrigue us?

Florafest Orchids hybridized Dendrobium fuliginosa "Black Pam" some of the seedlings were very dark. Miltonioides leucomelas (Rchb.f.) is another species with black petals. The sepals have a white tip. There are many orchids with black stripes, bars or markings such as Coelogyne pandurata and Oncidium henckenii. Both of these are often called "The Black Orchid." Oncidium henckenii is a very strange looking, but a lovely orchid. Notice how black the lip is with just a touch of yellow on the tip. Dracula vampira and Dracula roezlii both have jet-black markings. I believe the Paphiopedilum hybrids have the most orchids that are reaching the black stage. Here are just a few hybrids that I think you will enjoy viewing.

• Paphiopedilum Maudiae Prieta This is one of my own orchids. The dark wine color is almost black and, with certain lighting, it looks black. Paph. Maudiae has been used extensively for breeding dark purple and black/maroon Paphs.

• Paphiopedilum Makuli "Candor Blackheart" AM/AOS (Maudiae x sukhakulii)

• Paphiopedilum Black Velvet "Candor Neat" HCC/AOS

• Paphiopedilum Maudiae "Florafest's Queen" AD AOC-QOS

When you see a black orchid and want to purchase one of the seedlings, be aware that just because the parents and the plant you saw was black, does not mean the seedling that you purchased will be black as well. Hybrids are not always the same at the parent plant when grown from seed, an example of this is Paphiopedilum Jeff LaPoint. This photo is a beautiful black, but all of the seeds of P. Jeff Lapoint going to

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