Common Name:

General Information

Fuchsia coccinea is a deciduous shrub that can vary in habit according to its habitat. In open, exposed positions it is generally a compact plant 50 - 150cm tall, but when growing in sheltered woodland it can adopt a more climbing habit with stems up to 7 metres long[].
The edible fruit is gathered from the wild and consumed locally. The plant is also often grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

S. America - Brazil

Habitat

Occurs in rocky, open campo near the summits of several of the highest mountains in Minas Gerais, at elevations from 1,400 - 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	3.50 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Humming birds, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Fuchsia coccinea is not very hardy outdoors in the temperate zone, only succeeding in the mildest regions[]. A plant growing in a sheltered wall garden at Greenways Garden in Devon, UK (hardiness zone 8) had adopted a climbing habit and was 2 metres tall in May 1996. It is said to fruit freely[]. Our own plant, obtained as a cutting from Greenways Garden, has grown and fruited very well outdoors in Cornwall (hardiness zone 8), the stems have not been cut back at all in the winter, even when temperatures have fallen below -5°c, although new growth in the spring is susceptible to frost damage[]. In areas with colder winters the plants can be grown outdoors in the summer, then lifted and potted up in the greenhouse for the winter[].
Succeeds in any fertile well-drained circum-neutral soil[]. Requires a good soil and a moist shady position in the summer[]. A fast-growing plant[].
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[].
Plants are very susceptible to whitefly when grown in a greenhouse[].
This species is a parent of many of the hardy fuchsia hybrids[].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[].
A good bee plant[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. A juicy berry with small seeds that can be swallowed, it has a sweet and very pleasant flavour with no hint of any unpleasant aftertaste[]. It is one of our favourite fuchsia fruits[]. The ellipsoid fruit can be up to 17mm long[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[] though it can also be sown in the spring[]. Surface sow the seed in pots in a warm greenhouse and do not allow the compost to dry out[]. 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[, ]. 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[].
Cuttings usually succeed at any time during the growing season[].