diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.h b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.h
index b9535f14e363..a7dd98139991 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.h
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.h
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ struct Color {
   int32_t getColor() const;
   std::size_t getUIColorHash() const;
 
+  // Returns the UndefinedColor sentinel (null underlying UIColor) on a miss, so
+  // callers can tell a miss from a name that resolves to transparent. Callers
+  // reaching into getUIColor() must null-check it.
   static Color createSemanticColor(std::vector<std::string> &semanticItems);
 
   std::shared_ptr<void> getUIColor() const
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.mm b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.mm
index 93ecb7e33190..e47deaa95cf6 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.mm
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.mm
@@ -237,7 +237,12 @@ int32_t ColorFromUIColor(const std::shared_ptr<void> &uiColor)
 
 Color Color::createSemanticColor(std::vector<std::string> &semanticItems)
 {
-  auto semanticColor = RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItems(semanticItems);
+  UIColor *semanticColor = RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItemsOrNil(semanticItems);
+  if (semanticColor == nil) {
+    // Undefined-color sentinel on a miss, distinct from a name that resolves to
+    // transparent (getColor() is still 0, preserving the old render).
+    return HostPlatformColor::UndefinedColor;
+  }
   return Color(wrapManagedObject(semanticColor));
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/PlatformColorParser.mm b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/PlatformColorParser.mm
index 377783f0f195..890db576eba9 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/PlatformColorParser.mm
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/PlatformColorParser.mm
@@ -8,9 +8,13 @@
 #import "PlatformColorParser.h"
 
 #import <react/renderer/core/RawValue.h>
+#import <react/renderer/css/CSSColor.h>
+#import <react/renderer/css/CSSValueParser.h>
+#import <react/renderer/graphics/Color.h>
 #import <react/renderer/graphics/HostPlatformColor.h>
 #import <react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.h>
 #import <react/utils/ManagedObjectWrapper.h>
+#import <optional>
 #import <string>
 #import <unordered_map>
 
@@ -51,13 +55,39 @@
   return SharedColor(color);
 }
 
+// nullopt only on a parse failure, so a fallback that resolves to transparent is
+// still honored.
+static std::optional<SharedColor> fallbackColorFromString(const std::string &fallbackString)
+{
+  auto cssColor = parseCSSProperty<CSSColor>(fallbackString);
+  if (std::holds_alternative<CSSColor>(cssColor)) {
+    const auto &c = std::get<CSSColor>(cssColor);
+    return colorFromRGBA(c.r, c.g, c.b, c.a);
+  }
+  return std::nullopt;
+}
+
 SharedColor parsePlatformColor(const ContextContainer &contextContainer, int32_t surfaceId, const RawValue &value)
 {
   if (value.hasType<std::unordered_map<std::string, RawValue>>()) {
     auto items = (std::unordered_map<std::string, RawValue>)value;
     if (items.find("semantic") != items.end() && items.at("semantic").hasType<std::vector<std::string>>()) {
       auto semanticItems = (std::vector<std::string>)items.at("semantic");
-      return SharedColor(Color::createSemanticColor(semanticItems));
+      auto semanticColor = SharedColor(Color::createSemanticColor(semanticItems));
+      // The sentinel (null UIColor) means a true miss; apply the fallback only
+      // then, not when a name resolves to transparent.
+      if (!semanticColor) {
+        if (items.find("fallback") != items.end() && items.at("fallback").hasType<std::string>()) {
+          auto fallbackColor = fallbackColorFromString((std::string)items.at("fallback"));
+          // has_value(), not != 0, so a transparent fallback is kept.
+          if (fallbackColor.has_value()) {
+            return *fallbackColor;
+          }
+        }
+        // Miss with no usable fallback: clearColor, never leaking the sentinel.
+        return clearColor();
+      }
+      return semanticColor;
     } else if (
         items.find("dynamic") != items.end() &&
         items.at("dynamic").hasType<std::unordered_map<std::string, RawValue>>()) {
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.h b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.h
index f487564c043d..ad021c1e413f 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.h
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.h
@@ -15,6 +15,15 @@ struct ColorComponents;
 struct Color;
 } // namespace facebook::react
 
+NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN
+
 facebook::react::ColorComponents RCTPlatformColorComponentsFromSemanticItems(std::vector<std::string> &semanticItems);
 UIColor *RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItems(std::vector<std::string> &semanticItems);
+// Like RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItems but returns nil on a miss, so callers
+// can tell a miss from a name that resolves to transparent.
+UIColor *_Nullable RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItemsOrNil(std::vector<std::string> &semanticItems);
+// Precondition: `color` is a resolved color, never the miss sentinel, so the
+// result stays _Nonnull.
 UIColor *RCTPlatformColorFromColor(const facebook::react::Color &color);
+
+NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_END
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.mm b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.mm
index 4a0a53e2b504..882f38805672 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.mm
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/graphics/platform/ios/react/renderer/graphics/RCTPlatformColorUtils.mm
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@
   return _ColorComponentsFromUIColor(RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItems(semanticItems));
 }
 
-UIColor *RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItems(std::vector<std::string> &semanticItems)
+UIColor *_Nullable RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItemsOrNil(std::vector<std::string> &semanticItems)
 {
   for (const auto &semanticCString : semanticItems) {
     NSString *semanticNSString = _NSStringFromCString(semanticCString);
@@ -206,7 +206,15 @@
     }
   }
 
-  return UIColor.clearColor;
+  return nil;
+}
+
+UIColor *RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItems(std::vector<std::string> &semanticItems)
+{
+  // Non-null contract (e.g. for RCTPlatformColorComponentsFromSemanticItems);
+  // callers needing to detect a miss use the OrNil variant.
+  UIColor *uiColor = RCTPlatformColorFromSemanticItemsOrNil(semanticItems);
+  return uiColor != nil ? uiColor : UIColor.clearColor;
 }
 
 UIColor *RCTPlatformColorFromColor(const facebook::react::Color &color)