FUCHSIA: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, CARE, MAINTENANCE - BIOLOGY - 2024

The fuchsia or queen's earrings (Fuchsia magellanica), is an ornamental woody shrub belonging to the Onagraceae family. It is also commonly known as chilco, palo blanco or jasmine del Papa.

It is a common plant in countries with a temperate climate. This species is considered one of the fuchsias with the greatest resistance outdoors and with the most ornamental use. It is also tolerant to freezing, although it can suffer certain foliar damage when it is subjected to continuous frosts.

Fuchsia magellanica has very showy flowers whose color gives rise to its name. Source: pixabay.com

Its water requirement is high, so it lives in places where it has constant water availability and therefore it is often located on the banks of lagoons and in streams. The ideal temperature for its growth and development is 15 to 20 ° C. It lives in countries with a temperate climate preferably.

The leaves of Fuchsia magellanica are used to make tea with diuretic properties and to reduce fever. The flowers are very pretty, shaped like an elongated and hanging bell, and their color is what gives this genus its name.

Regarding its cultivation and maintenance, this plant can be propagated by means of seeds and cuttings, the latter to guarantee the development of hybrids equal to the mother plant according to the color of its flowers. On the other hand, pruning is very important in this species to stimulate the production of new branches and flowers in the following flowering season.

characteristics

The flowers of Fuschia magellanica or queen's earrings are exquisitely shaped. Source: Jason Hollinger

Appearance

It is a woody deciduous shrub about 2 m high, it has long, thin stems that also break very easily. Its identification is complicated while it is not in the flowering season.

Leaves

Its leaves are lanceolate, simple and along the venation and the margin presents pubescence. The leaves can be 3 to 8 cm long.

The coloration on the underside is usually lighter than on the upper side. The veins and petioles are red.

flowers

The flowers of these plants are very showy, hanging in the shape of pendulum-type bells, they show a long calyx and differentiated sepals of the petals in terms of their color (red, purple, fuchsia and white).

They are made up of four lanceolate sepals that are fused in the tubular base which is bottle-shaped. It has 5 elongated spatulate petals arranged in the shape of a tube. In the center they contain eight stamens and a long style.

The flowering season occurs between late spring and summer.

Fruit

The fruit consists of an elongated berry whose interior contains many seeds.

Taxonomy

-Kingdom: Plantae

-Filo: Tracheophyta

-Class: Magnoliopsida

-Order: Myrtales

-Family: Onagraceae

-Gender: Fuchsia

-Species: Fuchsia magellanica Lam.

It is also known as Dorvalla eucharis, Fuchsia araucana, Fuchsia chonotica, Fuchsia coccinea var. chonotica, Fuchsia coccinea var. macrostema, Fuchsia coccinea var. robustior, Fuchsia conica, Fuchsia decusata, Fuchsia discolor, Fuchsia elegans, Fuchsia globosa, Fuchsia gracilis, Fuchsia gracilis var. macrostema, Fuchsia gracilis var. multiflora, Fuchsia lowei, Fuchsia macrostema, Fuchsia magellanica var. eburnea, Fuchsia myrtifolia, Fuchsia pendula, Fuchsia pumila, Fuchsia recurvata, Fuchsia riccartoniana, Fuchsia tenella, Fuchsia thompsoni, Thilcum tinctorium.

Habitat and distribution

Fuchsia magellanica is a plant that is distributed in Argentina, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, England, Ireland, the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Hawaii, among others.

This type of fuchsia is frequently found in streams and lake banks, as well as in the forest as long as its roots are in contact with water.

This species is sensitive to frost in the aerial part, which can cause the death of the plant. In winter its growth is very slow and in spring new foliar growth occurs.

The Queen's Earrings is a woody shrub with long, thin stems. Source: scott.zona

The lowest monthly temperature in the places where it grows is around 2.4 and -2.8 ° C, and the lowest recorded temperatures are around -25 ° C.

Regarding its ecophysiology, this plant has two mechanisms of tolerance to freezing. One of them is to reduce the freezing point within cells through increased production of antifreeze substances such as sugars, alcohols and proteins.

Likewise, freeze avoidance is a resistance mechanism used in plants that are tolerant to low temperatures, where ice or frost forms outside the cells, as a process associated with cellular dehydration.

It is considered that in this species and other woody species, tolerance to freezing occurs as an acclimatization to cold regulated by the shortening of the photoperiod and the decrease in temperature.

Care

This species of fuchsia has reddish stems and petioles. Source: McKay Savage from London, UK

Substratum

This species of plant is sensitive to chlorosis due to the change in pH in the substrate. The recommended pH is below 7, and for this, a substrate with good moisture retention is required, particularly composed of peat and coarse sand, and with a good amount of organic matter.

With respect to the pots where they are planted, the ideal ones are those made of clay since they facilitate the gaseous exchange between the roots and the environment.

Temperature and humidity

The optimal temperature for both growth and maintenance is between 15 and 20 ° C, so a cool to warm climate is recommended throughout the year.

With regard to the minimum temperature, those that are below 10 ° C are unfavorable for fuchsias in general, so it is recommended to protect them inside greenhouses or in heated places during strong winters.

The required humidity is approximately 60%. For this, it is necessary to spray or water the plants in the morning and in the afternoon if the weather is dry, and the plants can also be submerged in water but on pebbles (small stones) and not inside the pots.

Light

The incidence of direct light on these plants can cause damage such as burns. However, fuchsias in general require a lot of lighting to grow healthy and bloom.

In general, it is recommended to place them in semi-shady conditions to avoid risks of burns caused by the sun.

Spread

Fuchsia can be propagated through seeds and cuttings. The cuttings are useful to multiply and obtain identical plants to the mother hybrids. Whereas, if it is by seed, the flowers are not guaranteed to be the same as those of the initial hybrid.

To obtain cuttings, these must be selected over 8 cm long and must be removed from the mother plant with a disinfected object. Subsequently, the cutting is sown in a substrate of peat and sand and moistened.

The conditions for the cuttings to begin to grow is between 15 and 20 ° C, and in these conditions the roots and the first shoots appear in about two weeks.

Irrigation

The substrate where these plants grow must always be humid, since the water requirement of this species is much greater than that of other plants. Therefore, it is recommended to water every day, but not excessively to avoid causing waterlogging.

With regard to irrigation water, it is recommended that it be stored from the rain, since tap water tends to increase the pH and cause chlorosis.

Maintenance

Pruning

To maintain this plant, it is necessary to prune 2/3 of the branches as soon as winter ends, and in this way give the plant the shape you want and stimulate the production of new branches, since this will produce many more flowers the next time.

Likewise, it is recommended to remove dead, broken, dry branches, or those that present diseases. Also, dry stumps, that is, branches that do not show shoots, should be removed from the plant.

On the other hand, the sprouts that are weak or badly located should be removed from the foot of the bush so that they do not develop as a branch of the plant. In this sense, badly oriented branches, which cross or become entangled within the bush, should also be removed.

The senescent flowers and fruits should also be removed from the bush for aesthetic reasons as this is an ornamental plant.

fertilizer

It is recommended to fertilize these plants during the spring and summer periods with controlled release fertilizers once a month. In addition, it is recommended to apply liquid fertilizers through the irrigation water twice a month (every 15 days).

In general, the doses that fertilizer manufacturers recommend are very high for these plants, so it is suggested to reduce the dose that is read on the packaging or labels of the products so as not to cause the death of the plant.

Diseases

Fuchsia is frequently attacked by pests such as the spider mite (a mite) when there are dry conditions in the environment. To treat this pest, it is advisable to use acaricides and try to keep the humidity of the environment at least 60%.

Other pests that can attack this crop are aphids, which can be removed from these plants by directly applying pressure water or applying specific insecticides.

Finally, the yellowing of the leaves, their fall, as well as the little formation of flowers can be due to the waterings applied, either in excess or in deficit.

References

1. Pagter, M., Petersen, KK 2008. Drought Adaptation in Fuchsia magellanica and Its Effect on Freezing Tolerance J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 133 (1): 11-19.
2. Tropical Nature. 2019. Manual for the cultivation of Fuchsias in the garden, genus Fuchsia. Taken from: Naturalezatropical.com
3. Catalog of Life: 2019 Annual Checklist. Species details: Fuchsia magellanica Lam. Taken from: catalogueoflife.org
4. Biodiversity Information System of the Administration of National Parks in Argentina. IG. 2019. Fuchsia magellanica. Taken from: sib.gob.ar
5. Infojardin. 2019. Fuchsia, Queen Earrings. Taken from: chips.infojardin.com