The snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) is a popular garden plant cultivated globally for its striking, uniquely shaped flowers. Named for the resemblance of its bloom to a dragon’s snout when gently squeezed, it is grown as an annual in cooler climates and as a perennial in warmer regions. Gardeners appreciate the snapdragon for its tall spikes and the remarkable breadth of its color palette, making it one of the most versatile flowers in horticulture.
The Core Spectrum of Snapdragon Colors
Snapdragons offer intensely saturated hues across the spectrum of warm tones. The reds are particularly strong, ranging from bright scarlet and deep crimson to the almost black-red of burgundy varieties. This depth of color provides dramatic contrast in garden beds and floral arrangements.
The yellow family is equally diverse, presenting shades from pale lemon and soft buttery tones to rich golds. These warm colors are often genetically controlled. Moving into the apricot and orange range, the colors soften into gentle peaches, corals, and deep terra-cotta hues, providing a beautiful gradient between the yellows and reds.
The spectrum extends into the cool tones, providing a selection of pinks and purples. Pink shades cover the full range, from the palest blush and soft rose to vivid magenta. These colors are produced by anthocyanin pigments.
The purple and lavender snapdragons offer a cool counterpoint, spanning delicate lavender, lilac, and deep violet. Neutral colors include crisp, pure whites and warmer, creamy off-whites that possess a hint of ivory.
Color Variations and Missing Shades
Beyond the solid colors, snapdragons also feature a wide array of patterned and variegated blooms. Bicolor varieties are common, where two distinct colors appear on the same flower, often with a white or cream base contrasting with a colored lip or throat. This pattern frequently highlights the throat, which acts as a visual guide for pollinating insects.
Other variations include striped or mottled patterns, where one color appears painted over another, creating a streaked effect. For example, some cultivars display a base color like peach or pink with darker cherry-red stripes running down the petals.
Despite this extensive color range, snapdragons do not naturally produce true blue or true black. The deep purples and violets are the closest the plant can achieve to blue, but they lack the genes needed to synthesize the stable blue pigment found in flowers like delphiniums. Therefore, a true sky-blue color is genetically impossible for the snapdragon.
Similarly, while cultivars like ‘Black Prince’ or ‘Night and Day’ appear extremely dark, they are actually a dense, deep burgundy or mahogany red. True black is absent in nearly all natural plant pigments. The deep saturation of the red anthocyanins makes these flowers appear black to the human eye, but they are botanically classified as the darkest possible red.