Black Orchids: Mystery and Awe (now at your finger tips)
I grew up in an era when Basil St. John was romancing Brenda Starr (ace reporter).
Brenda was a character in a cartoon strip written by Dale Messick (and others).
As a successful career woman, Brenda served as a role model for women of my generation, and possibly anyone appreciating retro reflections. Basil St. John, Brenda’s lover, was a respected scientist who continually looked for an elusive black orchid serum. Can you see why he might have been a major heart throb? But, I digress, and note simply that my sense of the mystery of black orchids began here.
The few orchids described as black exist in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. This stunning masdevallia called Dracula vamparia grows high up in the cool mountain ranges of South and Central America.
But orchids lack the DNA necessary to bloom in shades of true blue or black. What we see is an extremely rich pigmentation that looks almost black.
Fdk. After Dark 'SVO Black Pearl' FCC/AOS (an amazing pedigree that reflects top honors from the American Orchid Society) reflects years of work by three expert orchid hybridizers. An amazing effort requiring trial, error and patience. “Black orchids never seem to lose their elegance and class and have a distinguished beauty to show, for anyone to appreciate.” (Demystifying Black Orchids, Robin Nichols, June 2014, Garden and Greenhouse).
