Dark Flowers: Can Black Flowers Influence Pollination?

Flowers possess an ecological and environmental importance both for insect pollinators and other animals. Aside from their role in natural ecosystems, flowers have long been appreciated by humans; who for thousands of years used them for their medicinal, religious, cultural, and social purposes. Being the reproductive part of plants, flowers often attract winged pollinators which help them spread their pollen grains for reproduction.

However, not all flowering plants are deemed attractive by pollinators such as dark flowers. One reason behind this is that agents of pollination are generally attracted to lively flower colors, according to previous research led by researchers in China. Due to this overwhelming evidence, it is safe to assert that black flowers are the least attractive plant part for pollinators, even if some plant species produce dark-colored flowers.

What Are Dark Flowers?

Black flowers, also called dark flowers, are often described as unique and mysterious due to their rarity. Although the majority of these flowering plants have colors like blue, red, maroon, and dark purple. From a symbolic perspective, these blooms represent mourning, death, lust, tragedy, and farewell.

One of the most popular dark flowers is black roses, which are dark purple in color. Regardless of their uniqueness, these flowering plants are perceived by many to resemble negative emotions such as despair and hatred.

While experts claim no natural flowers can be completely pitch black, selective breeding can create a deep purple dark flower that resembles a black-colored plant. This makes black flowers possible, which was proven more than a decade ago.

In 2010, horticulturists in the United Kingdom announced their creation of the world's first all-black petunia plant. The new dark flower at that time, called Black Velvet, was created by using natural breeding techniques that allows the flowering plants to turn into dark black color.

Scientists explain that plants naturally do not produce black flowers since the development of their pigments primarily aim to help them with photosynthesis and attract pollinators, as said before. Yet, dark flowers do not entail that they are harmful or pose a threat to insect pollinators.

Can Black Flowers Influence Pollination?

As mentioned earlier, black flowers can influence pollination in a way that pollinators like bees will be highly likely to avoid them.

In a study published in the journal Frontiers in April 2022, a China-led research team stated that "pollinators are attracted to vibrant colors", asserting that flower color is the key agent to enable successful fruit set in food or ornamental crops. This is based on the scientific paper's environmental and molecular perspective toward the topic.

The research team arrived at their conclusion by first citing that some ornamental and fruit crops have black color due to key agents like cyanidin-based anthocyanins. Based on this evidence, black or dark flowers are relatively rare compared with other flowering plants with pigmentations ranging from pink, yellow, white, and green; colors which often attract pollinators.