At first glance, these apples may appear to be just a Photoshop trick, but they’re real and called “Black Diamond”. They are mainly grown in the mountains of Tibet, and a breed of Hua Niu apples (Chinese Red Delicious) that get their unique dark purple color from the geographical conditions of Nyingchi, in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Since the temperature fluctuations between day and night are significant, the fruits get a lot of sunlight and ultraviolet light which causes their skin to change from the deep red to dark purple. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Nyingchi orchard started production of the “Back Diamond” variety back in 2015, three years after the trees were planted, and can now be found ina select number of high-end supermarkets in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – sold gift packages of 6 to 8 fruits, priced at $7.26 USD each.
“Due to the low temperatures Black Diamond apple trees require to bear dark fruits, their growth rate is much lower than average. While most apple breeds reach maturity in 2 to 5 years, these trees require no less than 8 years. Furthermore, only about 30% of the orchard’s yield meet the standards of color compliance to be sold as premium Black Diamond apples,” reports Oddity Central.
