Fuchsia boliviana
| Fuchsia boliviana | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 10 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 11' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Fuchsia boliviana
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[1] though it can also be sown in the spring[2]. Surface sow the seed in pots in a warm greenhouse and do not allow the compost to dry out[1]. 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[3][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].
Cultivation: Succeeds in any fertile well-drained circum-neutral soil[1]. Requires a good open humus-rich soil and a moist partially shady position in the summer[4][5]. A fast-growing plant[6].
Plants are not very hardy outdoors in Britain. They are susceptible to frost damage at temperatures of 0°c[5], though they can be grown outdoors in the summer, then lifted and potted up in the greenhouse for the winter[4]. They can succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country if they are given the protection of a wall[7]. 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[K]. Plants are evergreen so long as the temperature remains above 4°c[6]. Plants are very susceptible to whitefly when grown in a greenhouse[6].
This species is closely related to F. corymbiflora[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[5].
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[10][5].
Edibility: Fruit - raw[4][11][1]. A juicy berry[K], it has a sweetish taste[10][12]. A pleasant flavour[6]. The fruit can be up to 25mm long[1].
Pollinators: Bees, birds
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Boullemier, Leo. The Checklist of Species Hybrids and Cultivars of the Genus Fuchsia. Blandford Press, 1985.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association, 1981.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Towle, Margaret. The Ethnobotany of Pre-Columbian Peru.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.