The flowers that have a near-black cultivar
Not one of the 82 flowers in the library is black, so this grid is the next honest thing: the species that have been bred dark enough to pass for it. The named cultivars are in the sort below.
RoseRosaSummer bloomer
8 photos of Rose
Queen of Night Tulip7 photos of Queen of Night Tulip
Arabian Night Dahlia7 photos of Arabian Night Dahlia
Black Velvet Petunia7 photos of Black Velvet Petunia
Black Beauty Pansy7 photos of Black Beauty Pansy
Nigra Hollyhock7 photos of Nigra Hollyhock
Before the Storm Bearded Iris7 photos of Before the Storm Bearded Iris
Landini Asiatic Lily7 photos of Landini Asiatic Lily
Black Star Calla Lily7 photos of Black Star Calla Lily
Onyx Odyssey Hellebore7 photos of Onyx Odyssey Hellebore
Chocolate Cosmos7 photos of Chocolate Cosmos
Black Barlow Columbine7 photos of Black Barlow Columbine
Dark Dimension Hyacinth7 photos of Dark Dimension Hyacinth
Black Knight Pincushion Flower7 photos of Black Knight Pincushion Flower
Black Peony Poppy7 photos of Black Peony Poppy
Black Ball Cornflower7 photos of Black Ball Cornflower
Black Prince Snapdragon7 photos of Black Prince Snapdragon
Why no plant can make a black flower
A plant has no black pigment available to it. What it can do is stack anthocyanins until the petal absorbs nearly everything that lands on it, and the deepest cultivars are close to that ceiling. They still leak: hold a Queen of Night tulip against the sun and it lights up maroon. There are also good reasons for a flower not to be black. A near-black petal in full sun runs hot enough to damage its own tissue, and pollinators find dark flowers hard to see, which is why almost every near-black plant in cultivation was selected in a garden rather than found in the wild.
Dark flowers vanish against soil, bark mulch and shadow, which is where people usually plant them. Put them against silver foliage, pale gravel, cream flowers or a light wall, at eye level rather than at the back, and where the low evening sun can pass through the petals.
How black each one really is
The same flowers again, this time grouped by how much of the colour is actually there in ordinary daylight rather than on a label.
Queen of Night tulip
Black Star calla lily
Before the Storm bearded iris
Black Velvet petunia
Nigra hollyhockArabian Night dahlia
Landini Asiatic lily
Chocolate cosmos
Black Barlow columbineOnyx Odyssey hellebore
Black Prince snapdragon
Black roseWhat black sits well with
What black says
Black flowers carry farewell, rebirth and deliberate drama in about equal measure, and a good deal of gothic fashion on top. Sent as a gift they read as a statement rather than a sentiment, so they are best given to someone who asked for them.