| Description | Albion Black Pod Nigella (Nigella damascena) produces white flowers that develop into deep burgundy balloon-shaped seed pods. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (ni-JEL-a)(da-ma-SEE-na) |
| Plant Type | Annuals, Site author's observations |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Temperature | a cool-weather annual |
| Flowers | double white starry flowers |
| Fruit | The fruit is a balloon-shaped seedpod, which is an inflated capsule composed of five fused true seedpods, measuring up to 2 inches long. The inflated seed pod will be dark plum in color and will dry to brown. These are ornamental and feature purple or bronze stripes with a horned top. The pod is surrounded by finely divided green bracts, creating a mist-like appearance around the flowers. This is the origin of the name Love-in-a-Mist. The seeds are black and small. |
| Leaves | The simple dark green leaves are pinnately divided many times into thin segments, have a feathery look, and are multifid, dissected. |
| Roots | Forms a tap root. |
| Dimensions | 16 inches tall |
| Maintenance | Will reseed |
| Propagation | Easily raised from seed either in situ or started indoors. The second and third generations of plants from the reseeding were fuller with more blossoms than the original plants I started indoors |
| Native Site | Native to Southern Europe and North Africa |
| Misc Facts | The genus name is from the Latin word niger, meaning black, referring to the color of the seeds. The specific epithet indicates Damascus, Syria. Each solitary flower seems to sit on a bed of lacy (and misty) foliage, which is why it has a common name. Love-in-the-Mist. The species plant Nigella damascena has been used in gardens since the 1600s. |
| Notes & Reference | #40-Herbaceous Ornamental Plants (Steven Stills), #28-Cottage Garden Annuals (Clive Lane), #270-Gardenia (www.gardenia.net), #284-University of Wisconsin-Madison (hort.extension.wisc.edu) , #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences |
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