Fuchsia fulgens
a perennial woody deciduous member of the Fuchsia genus in the family Onagraceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Onagraceae
- Genus
- Fuchsia
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- deciduous
- Woodiness
- woody
- Height
- 2 m
- Spread
- 1 m
- Fertility
- Insects
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Insects
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Fruit - raw. An acidic flavour[6]. A juicy berry with a very nice flavour[K]. Also used as a beverage[2][5]. The fruit can be up to 30mm long and 15mm wide[7].
- Product or use
- Drink
- Plant part
- Fruit
Environment
- Range
- Southern N. America - Mexico.
- Habitat
- Rocky places, old walls, woodlands and open areas, often as an epiphyte on oaks, in Jalisco, Michoacan and Morelia[9].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 10+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[7] though it can also be sown in the spring[1]. Surface sow the seed in pots in a warm greenhouse and do not allow the compost to dry out[7]. Germination should take place in less than 6 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Inter-nodal cuttings of greenwood, 5 - 8cm long, May/June in a frame. Quick and easy, a high percentage take[78, K]. Overwinter in the greenhouse for the first year and plant out after the last expected frosts. Inter-nodal cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Very quick and easy, treat as greenwood cuttings above[K]. Cuttings usually succeed at any time during the growing season[K]. Division of tubers in the spring[6]. Dig up the plant as it comes into active growth and pot up the tubers with their growing stems. Grow them on in the greenhouse until established and plant them out in early summer.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
An easily grown plant and very free-flowering when in warm, sunny, humid conditions and a rich well-drained soil[9]. Succeeds in any fertile well-drained circum-neutral soil[7]. Succeeds in a good loam if leafmold and sand are added[1]. This species is only hardy in the mildest parts of Britain, and even there it can be cut back by frosts[4]. Plants have a tuberous rootstock[4], and if cut back by frost will often regenerate from the roots. The roots can be dug up and stored overwinter in a cool dry but frost-free location and then planted out again in the spring[6]. Plants tolerate being left dry and leafless in the winter[9]. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[8]. A good bee plant[3]. This species is a parent of many ornamental cultivated greenhouse varieties[1]. Plants are very susceptible to whitefly[6].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981-00-00
Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-330-37376-5