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Fuchsia boliviana

Common name:		Family:	Onagraceae
Author:	Carrière.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Fuchsia corymbiflora (hort. non Ruiz.&Pav.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. America - southern Peru, through Bolivia to northern Argentina.
Habitat:	Grows in cool mossy forests in the Andes at altitudes of 1800 - 3000 metres[97, 260].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bolivian Fuchsia [B,P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Myrtales. Evening Primrose family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 3.5m by 1m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and birds. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, By Walls, By East Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw[48, 177, 200]. A juicy berry[K], it has a sweetish taste[97, 183]. A pleasant flavour[188]. The fruit can be up to 25mm long[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any fertile well-drained circum-neutral soil[200]. Requires a good open humus-rich soil and a moist partially shady position in the summer[48, 260]. A fast-growing plant[188].
Plants are not very hardy outdoors in Britain. They are susceptible to frost damage at temperatures of 0°c[260], though they can be grown outdoors in the summer, then lifted and potted up in the greenhouse for the winter[48]. They can succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country if they are given the protection of a wall[166]. A plant in a sheltered wall garden at Trengwainton in &ndndndnd was 2 metres tall and flowering very freely in August 1995, though there was little fruit set[K]. Plants are evergreen so long as the temperature remains above 4°c[188]. Plants are very susceptible to whitefly when grown in a greenhouse[188].
This species is closely related to F. corymbiflora[1].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
A good bee plant[108]. This species has a long tubular flower and is pollinated by humming birds in the wild[260].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[200] 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[200]. 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].

Cultivars

'Alba': A white-flowered form, the flowers are larger than the species[260]. Like the species, this form can fruit very heavily when growing in good conditions[260].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Fuchsia corymbiflora (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Onagraceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[48] Boullemier. L. The Checklist of Species, Hybrids and Cultivars of the Genus Fuschia. Blandford Press 1985 ISBN 0-7137-1781-5
Merely a list of names and the occasional elaboration.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[97] Towle. M. A. The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru.
A very interesting book covering quite a lot of information on plant uses in S. America although many of the plants are not suitable for temperate areas..

[108] International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981
The title says it all.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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