Fuchsia
Fuchsia magellanica
Family: Onagraceae · Also called Lady's Eardrops, Hardy Fuchsia, Aljaba, Fuchsia magellanica var. discolor, Fuchsia magellanica var. globosa, Fuchsia macrostemma
Green & Fresh · Summer–Autumn bloomer
Fuchsias are living ballet dancers, each flower hangs gracefully downward like a tiny ballerina, with swept-back sepals in one color and a flared 'skirt' of petals in another, often in dramatic bi-color combinations of red and purple, pink and white, or coral and magenta. They bloom with extraordinary generosity from early summer until frost.
confiding love, taste, good taste
In the Victorian language of flowers, fuchsia means “Confiding love and good taste”. Named after Leonhart Fuchs, a 16th-century German botanist. The plant was first described by a French monk who found it in the Dominican Republic in 1703. By the Victorian era, fuchsia mania gripped Britain, growers competed to produce ever more elaborate double varieties. In parts of Ireland and western Britain, F. magellanica has naturalized into hedgerows.
Did You Know?
Fuchsia berries are edible, they taste slightly peppery with a grape-like sweetness and are used to make jam in New Zealand. Hummingbirds, their primary pollinators, have no sense of smell, which is why fuchsias evolved to be scentless but vividly colored. The 'impossible' blue fuchsia remains one of hybridizers' holy grails, true blue hasn't been achieved yet.
Cool, moist mountain forests and stream banks in the Andes and southern Chile
Fuchsia is native to Central and South America, New Zealand. It naturally grows in cool, moist mountain forests and stream banks in the andes and southern chile.
Scent Profile
“Nearly scentless, fuchsias are pollinated by hummingbirds, which have no sense of smell. The flowers rely entirely on color and shape (pendulous, tubular) to attract their pollinators.”
Quick Reference
- Scientific NameFuchsia magellanica
- FamilyOnagraceae
- Native ToCentral and South America, New Zealand
- Bloom SeasonSummer–Autumn
- LifespanPerennial
Cultural Significance
Named after Leonhart Fuchs, a 16th-century German botanist. The plant was first described by a French monk who found it in the Dominican Republic in 1703. By the Victorian era, fuchsia mania gripped Britain, growers competed to produce ever more elaborate double varieties. In parts of Ireland and western Britain, F. magellanica has naturalized into hedgerows.