Black Plants @ The Botanical

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Oct 11th 2005, 2:07pm By queenseyes

Their names sound as frightening as a dark and stormy night: Pseuderanthemum alatum atropurpureum; Spiderwort; eZwartkopfi; Acanthus Family. What are these strange sounding things?

They are commonly referred to as black plants and they are currently on display at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, until November 1.

Can living blacks really be black? Not truly, because the dark colors that our eyes see are actually a combination of red, purple, green, orange and yellow.

Leaves described as being eblacki contain a pigment called anthocyanin. Anthocyanins are plant pigments that reflect the red to blue range of the visible spectrum. The word anthocyanin is derived from two Greek words meaning plant and blue. These are naturally occurring compounds that give color to fruit, vegetables, and plants.

2655 South Park Avenue (Rt 62), Buffalo. (716) 827-1584

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