The Rose Union to be established by Cittaslow, the Italy-based movement aiming at slowing down the pace of life in cities and promoting ecological harmony, will be introducing Turkey's black rose to the world.

Endemic only to Turkey and growing in the Halfeti district of the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, the black rose is renowned for its petals which adopt a pitch black hue in March-April and October-November. Its shade changes a bit during other seasons.

The Halfeti District Council Chair Nihat Ozdal explained how the flower owes its black color to the area's microclimate and terroir, and also dismissed other similarly black-petaled roses being imported from the Netherlands. "Those cultivated in the Netherlands or in other places are roses which have had their genes altered and grown in greenhouses," said ozdal, "Original black roses only grow in Halfeti; there has been absolutely no genetic manipulation here."