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Fuchsia boliviana
Onagraceae FAMILY

Fuchsia boliviana

Fuchsia boliviana

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthFast

A plant of higher elevations in the tropics, where it is found from 600 - 3,000 metres[1], it is also grown at lower elevations in the subtropics and warm temperate areas. Plants can withstand occasional short-lived frosts with temperatures down to about -3°c[2]. Plants can succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain if they are given the protection of a wall[3]. A plant in a sheltered wall garden at Trengwainton in Cornwall was 2 metres tall and flowering very freely in August 1995, though there was little fruit set[PFAF]. Succeeds in any fertile well-drained circum-neutral soil[4]. Requires a good open humus-rich soil and a moist partially shady position in the summer[5, 6]. Plants can tolerate full sunlight[1]. Plants can survive short periods of drought[1]. Plants are very susceptible to whitefly when grown in a greenhouse[7]. Fuchsia species flower and fruit mainly on new wood produced in the same growing season. Any pruning, therefore, is best carried out at the start of the growing season, cutting out old wood in order to encourage vigorous new growth[4]. Plants can flower through most of the year when growing in areas with warm winters[2]. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[8]. A good bee plant[9]. This species has a long tubular flower and is pollinated by humming birds in the wild[6].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[4] though it can also be sown in the spring[10]. Surface sow the seed in pots in a warm greenhouse and do not allow the compost to dry out[4]. 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/early summer in a frame. Quick and easy, a high percentage take[11, PFAF]. Overwinter in the greenhouse for the first year and plant out after the last expected frosts. Inter-nodal cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame. Very quick and easy, treat as greenwood cuttings above[PFAF]. Cuttings usually succeed at any time during the growing season[PFAF]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Fuchsia+boliviana>

Pollinators

Bees, Humming birds, Self

References

  1. [1]Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 69 — Missouri Botanical Garden · 1982 ↩︎An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet. This volume contains a treatment of section Fuchsia in the Genus Fuchsia.
  2. [2]Trade Winds Fruit — http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/index.htm ↩︎The on-line catalogue of a company selling seeds. Gives descriptions, photos and uses of a very wide range of fruit and other food-producing plants plus ornamentals.
  3. [3]The Milder Garden. — Taylor. J. · Dent · 1990 ↩︎A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.
  4. [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · 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.
  5. [5]The Checklist of Species, Hybrids and Cultivars of the Genus Fuschia. — Boullemier. L. · Blandford Press · 1985 · ISBN 0-7137-1781-5 ↩︎Merely a list of names and the occasional elaboration.
  6. [6]Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · 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.
  7. [7]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  8. [8]Perennial Garden Plants — Thomas. G. S. · 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.
  9. [9]Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. — International Bee Research Association. · International Bee Research Association. · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎The title says it all.
  10. [10]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  11. [11]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  12. [12]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  13. [13]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
  14. [14]Global Invasive Species Database — http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/ ↩︎Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range.
  15. [15]The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru. — Towle. M. A. · Aldine Publishing Co. Chicago. · 1961 ↩︎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.
  16. [16]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · 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.
  17. [17]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · 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.
  18. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎