Black Roses: Their Deep and Mysterious Meaning and Symbolism
Black roses are rare, intriguing roses with rich, dark flowers. However, black roses don’t occur naturally and have instead been bred by horticulturalists. Like many roses, these attractive cultivars are packed with deep meaning, symbolism, and cultural significance. In this article, I’ll run through everything you need to know about the meaning and symbolism of black roses.
- The Meaning and Symbolism of Black Roses – The Essentials
- About Black Roses
- Popular Varieties of Black Roses
- Traditional Meanings of Black Roses
- Black Roses and Death
- Black Roses and Relationships
- The Symbolism of Black Flowers
- Black Roses in the Middle Ages
- Black Roses in Ireland
- Suitable Gifting Occasions
- Black Roses Meaning FAQs:
The Meaning and Symbolism of Black Roses – The Essentials
Black roses traditionally symbolize death, mourning, and loss and are often used as symbols of grief. Black roses can also represent the end of a relationship or career. However, black roses are also associated with change, rebirth, and new beginnings. Black roses can also represent courage and power.
About Black Roses
Like other roses, black roses are deciduous woody perennials from the Rosa genus in the Rosaceae family. Roses are mainly native to Asia, with some species found in Europe, North Africa, and North America. Horticulturalists worldwide have also bred thousands of cultivars, including black roses.
Roses are divided into three main groups; hybrid or modern roses, old garden roses, and species roses. Rose cultivars are also subdivided into more categories, such as Floribunda roses, miniature roses, and patio roses.
Roses have beautiful flowers with five petals that come in several vibrant colors. Many roses produce intoxicating heady or musky scents. Regardless of color, all roses have pinnate leaves with serrated edges and woody stems covered in thorns.
Popular Varieties of Black Roses
Most black roses aren’t actually true black. Instead, these roses usually come in very dark brown or red shades. Black roses are either bred by horticulturalists or dyed artificially to darken the color. Here are some popular varieties of black roses:
- Rosa ‘Black Baccara’ – This beautiful black rose has large dark brown flowers tinged with dark crimson. Despite its stunning appearance, ‘Black Baccara’ produces no fragrance.
- Rosa ‘Black Beauty’ – ‘Black Beauty’ has rich dark red flowers with velvety petals. This hybrid tea rose was first released in 1954.
- Rosa ‘Black Jade’ – These stunning roses have dark red flowers that turn almost black in hot weather. Each flower has a cluster of golden yellow stamens in the center.
- Rosa ‘Black Magic’ – This dramatic cultivar looks black at a glance but is actually a very dark red. ‘Black Magic’ also has large double flowers.
- Rosa ‘Black Velvet’ – ‘Black Velvet’ has large, dark burgundy double flowers with velvety petals. This cultivar also has a pungent, intoxicating fragrance.
Traditional Meanings of Black Roses
Black roses are packed with rich meaning and symbolism. Black roses are most commonly associated with death and mourning. These roses may also be linked to negative feelings like hatred, tragic love, and even revenge. On the flip side, black roses can also symbolize devotion and deep love.
Black roses are strongly linked to change, new beginnings, rebirth, and renewal. This can also be linked to the symbolism of black flowers, which represent intrigue and mystery. This association with change and rebirth is a powerful counterpart to the black rose’s symbolism of death.
These dark flowers can have some unsurprisingly dark symbolism. Black roses can be associated with strong negative emotions such as obsession, sorrow, and anger. In popular culture, many directors and filmmakers used black roses to represent dark emotions experienced by the characters.
These intriguing roses can also represent confidence, courage, power, and strength. In the fashion world, black roses are considered to symbolize elegance and sophistication.
Black Roses and Death
Historically, black roses are mainly associated with death, mourning, and the loss of a loved one. Black is the traditional color for funerals, mourning, and grieving. As such, black roses are often used in funeral bouquets or given to someone who is grieving. Some people even get black rose tattoos to remind them of lost loved ones.
Black Roses and Relationships
Black roses have complicated meanings when it comes to relationships. At first glance, black roses are a negative symbol within relationships. Black roses symbolize the end of a relationship or career. These intense flowers have a tone of finality to them.
This negative symbolism goes further. Black roses can sometimes be associated with hatred, tragic love, and revenge. As such, some people may give their partner a black rose just before ending the relationship.
However, black roses can also have positive connotations in relationships, especially new relationships. Black roses can represent change and new beginnings, symbolizing the end of one relationship and the beginning of a new one. These flowers can also represent devotion and deep love.
The Symbolism of Black Flowers
Along with the meanings associated specifically with black roses, these flowers also share lots of symbolism with other black flowers. Black flowers are commonly associated with intrigue, mystery, and power. These rich flowers are also linked to confidence, courage, and strength.
Black Roses in the Middle Ages
Black roses have some interesting connotations with the Middle Ages. Many medieval peasants recognized black roses as a symbol of freedom, usually during periods of revolt or unrest. As black roses don’t occur naturally, many peasants considered them unattainable. As such, black roses were seen as a symbol of the elusive freedom sought by rebellious peasants.
Black Roses in Ireland
Black roses are strongly linked with Ireland thanks to the “Roisin Dubh”; a 16th Century Irish folk song. The song’s title literally means ‘Black Rose’ in Irish and was supposedly named after the daughter of an Irish earl.
The song is extremely political and comments on the unstable nature of Ireland during the early medieval period. During this period, Ireland was fought over by both Normans and Saxons.
Suitable Gifting Occasions
Due to their complicated symbolism, gauging appropriate situations for gifting black roses is difficult. Black roses are traditionally associated with mourning and loss. As such, it can be appropriate to give black roses to someone who is grieving.
Rather than using black roses to symbolize the end of a relationship, try using them to celebrate the start of one. A gift of a black rose with dark red petals can symbolize both new beginnings and romantic passion.
Black Roses Meaning FAQs:
What Do Black Roses Mean in Love?
Black roses are traditionally associated with the end of a relationship. However, black roses can also signify deep love and devotion. Black roses are also associated with new beginnings and changes.
Are There Natural Black Roses?
Black roses are not natural flowers. All black roses available on the market have either been artificially dyed or bred to have a dark color.
What Does a Black Eternal Rose Mean?
‘Black Eternal’ roses are associated with death, changes, and new beginnings. They can also symbolize the end of a relationship or career.
What Does the Black Flower Symbolize?
Black flowers traditionally symbolize mourning, loss, and grief. Some black flowers can also represent confidence, courage, intrigue, mystery, power, and strength. Black flowers are also associated with dark emotions such as obsession.
Where Did the Black Rose Come From?
Most black roses are either artificially dyed or selectively bred. There is one rare flower that is almost pure black, although technically, it’s dark brown. This is the Halfeti rose from Turkey.
Wrapping Up
Black roses have a lot of complicated symbolism. Traditionally, these flowers are linked to death, loss, mourning, and grief. However, black roses can also symbolize change, renewal, rebirth, and new beginnings. Black roses are also associated with courage, confidence, strength, and power.
For more, see our in-depth guide to whether roses are toxic to cats, whether roses will bloom indoors, and how to press roses at home.