Chocolate Cosmos
Cosmos atrosanguineus
Family: Asteraceae · Also called Black Cosmos, Cosmos diversifolius var. atrosanguineus, Bidens atrosanguinea
Earthy & Warm · Summer–Autumn bloomer
The chocolate cosmos is a botanical unicorn, a deep maroon, velvety flower that smells exactly like dark chocolate. It is one of the rarest flowers in cultivation: functionally extinct in the wild, with every plant alive today being a clone of a single specimen collected over a century ago. The scent is most intense on warm afternoons.
deep passion, desire, rarity
In the Victorian language of flowers, chocolate cosmos means “Deep desire and passion”. Chocolate cosmos is functionally extinct in the wild, every plant in cultivation today is a clone propagated vegetatively from a single surviving specimen collected in 1902. It cannot set seed because all plants are genetically identical (self-incompatible). The chocolate scent comes from the same compound (vanillin) found in chocolate.
Did You Know?
Every chocolate cosmos plant in the world is a genetic clone of one individual collected in 1902. Because all plants are identical, they can't cross-pollinate to produce seeds. Scientists have attempted to reintroduce genetic diversity through tissue culture and crossing with related species, but the wild plant remains lost.
Mountain grasslands of Mexico, functionally extinct in the wild
Chocolate Cosmos is native to Mexico. It naturally grows in mountain grasslands of mexico, functionally extinct in the wild.
Scent Profile
“Smells unmistakably of dark chocolate and vanilla, one of the most extraordinary scent mimicries in the plant kingdom.”
Quick Reference
- Scientific NameCosmos atrosanguineus
- FamilyAsteraceae
- Native ToMexico
- Bloom SeasonSummer–Autumn
- LifespanPerennial
Cultural Significance
Chocolate cosmos is functionally extinct in the wild, every plant in cultivation today is a clone propagated vegetatively from a single surviving specimen collected in 1902. It cannot set seed because all plants are genetically identical (self-incompatible). The chocolate scent comes from the same compound (vanillin) found in chocolate.