Fuchsias in the City - Fuchsia Section Quelusia

The Genus Fuchsia

Section Quelusia
(nine species)
All nine species in this section are found in cool forest habitats with eight in southeastern Brazil, from Minas Gerais to Rio Grande do Sul, and one, F. magellanica, occurring from the Andes and coastal slopes of southern Chile and Argentina between thirty-three and fifty-five degrees south latitude (Berry 1989). These shrubs or lianas have opposite or whorled leaves. The pendulous, or rarely divergent, flowers are axillary, solitary or rarely in pairs with a floral tube 3 to 15 mm long, and have smooth or weakly lobed, band-type nectaries. The sepals are longer than the floral tube, partly connate and colored red. The petals are convolute and blue-violet. The stamens occur in two unequal series and are strongly exserted. They have yellow pollen. The seed count is between 60 and 120.

The Sections

➤ Ellobium
➤ Encliandra
➤ Fuchsia
➤ Hemsleyella
➤ Jimenezia
➤ Kierschlegeria
➤ Pachyrizza
➤ Procumbentes
● Quelusia
➤ Schufia
➤ Skinnera
➤ Verrucosa

➤ Genus Index

F. alpestris
Brazil. Found in thickets and low forest near granitic outcrops of several morros in north-central Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil and also near Nova Friburgo, Santa Maria Madalena, as well as in the Serra dos Órgãos between Teresópolis and Petrópolis at elevations from 1,400 to 1,600 meters. This is a scandent shrub 1 to 5 meters tall, with generally long hanging branches up to 5 meters long,

and reddish tan branchlets which are densely pilose with erect whitish hairs. The oblong, broadly ovate or narrowly elliptic-ovate leaves are opposite, or occasionally ternate, 55 or 60 to 140 mm long, moderately pilose above, densely pilose below, sometimes purple-flushed when young, and often yellowing before falling. or occasionally ternate, 55 or 60 to 140 mm long, moderately pilose above, densely pilose below, sometimes purple-flushed when young, and often yellowing before falling. The flowers are few and solitary with a cylindrical-fusiform tube that is 5 to 10 mm long. The tube and sepals are red to dull pink. The sepals are 18 to 29 mm long and become spreading at anthesis. The broadly ovate petals are 10 to 14 mm long and violet. The filaments, anthers, style and stigma are red. Flowering is mainly from November to March. The oblong-ellipsoid berries are 14 to 16 mm long and purple when ripe.

Authors—Gardner 1842. (Gardner) Munz 1943. Berry 1989.
Synonyms—F. mollis, Krause 1906; F. regia var. alpestris
Herbaria—Kew 1; Kew 2.

F. bracelinae

Brazil. Endemic to the highest peaks of the Serra do Caparaó (Pico da Bandeira, Pico do Cristal, Picodo Cruzeiro, and Pico do Calçado) along the border of the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. It grows in the open campos above the tree line at elevations from 2,280 to 2,850 meters, but is most common between 2,700 and 2,800 meters. This is a few to many-branched subshrub 0.1 to 0.6 meters tall, or occasionally a scandent shrub to 2 meters high in dense shrubbery, It has reddish purple branchlets that are densely pilose with erect whitish hairs and older branches with freely exfoliating bark. The 3-to-5 verticilate leaves are narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 20 to 50 mm long, green above, paler and usually purple-flushed below, and densely pilose on the sulcate veins.

The stipules are subpersistent. The flowers are solitary in the upper leaf axils and 1.2 to 2.0 cm long with a tube 3.5 to 7 mm long and narrowly lanceolate to elliptic-ovate sepals 19 to 26 mm long. The tube and sepals are light red to pink. The broadly obovate petals are 10 to 15 mm, deep purple, and become broadly spreading at anthesis. The filaments are reddish purple, the anthers and style light red, and the stigma reddish. Flowering is mainly during the summer months from November to March. The young berries are oblong.

Authors—Munz 1943. Berry 1989.
Herbaria—California Academy; Missouri (type specimen); Smithsonian.

F. brevilobis

This is a scandent shrub 2 to 6 meters tall, or occasionally a liana in trees to 8 meters high, with scandent or drooping branches to 3 meters long. The young growth is densely pilose to puberulent and the older stems exfoliate. The opposite or ternate leaves (occasionally in whorls of 4) are lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 20 to 75 mm long, and subglabrous to sparsely pubescent above with impressed veins. The stipules are deciduous. The solitary flowers are borne in the upper leaf axils and have a subcylindric to fusiform tube 7 to 10 mm long. The sepals are 17 to 25 mm long and become spreading to slightly recurved at anthesis. The tube and sepals are red to red-pink. The petals are almost entirely enclosed by the sepal tube, 12 to 18 mm long, and light to dark purple. The filaments are reddish pink, anthers red-purple, style reddish, and stigma purple. The flowers occur throughout the year, but mainly during the summer season from November to March. The oblong-ellipsoid berry is 15 to 22 (to 26) mm long and black when ripe. Natural hybridization with F. regia ssp. serrae is known to occur.

Authors—Berry 1989.
Herbaria—Zone on line.

F. campos-portoi
Brazil. Endemic to the open campos of the Itatiaia mountain massif, in the Serra da Mantiqueira, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais

border at elevations from 2,100 and 2,550 meters. This is a subshrub to woody scandent bush 0.3 to 2 (to 3) meters tall and often growing among rocks. The young growth is subglabrous to finely canescent or pilose and the older branches have a flaky, coppery brown bark. The mostly ternate leaves (occasionally opposite or 4-5-whorled) are narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 12 to 40 mm long, dark green and subglabrous above, and paler and mostly glabrous below or with villous hairs along veins and margins. The stipules are deciduous. The solitary flowers are borne in the upper leaf axils and have a subrhombic floral tube 4 to 6 mm long.

The lance-elliptic sepals are 12 to 20 mm long and become spreading at anthesis. The tube and sepals red to dark pink. The broadly obovate petals are 9 to 12 mm long and violet. The filaments are red and anthers purple-red. Flowering is mainly during the summer season from November to March. The cylindrical berry is 14 to 16 mm long. Natural hybridization with F. regia ssp. regia is known to occur.

Authors—Pilger & Schulze 1935. Berry 1989.
Herbaria—None on line

F. coccinea
Brazil. Occurring in rocky, open campos near the summits of several of the highest mountains in Minas

Gerais—Serra da Piedade, Serra da Caraça, Serra do Itacolomi, and Pico do Itambé—at elevations from 1,400 to 2,000 meters. This is an erect shrub 0.5 to 1.5 meters tall, or scandent to 7 meters high, often with extensive underground stems. The young growth is puberulent to densely pilose and the older stems exhibit exfoliating bark. The mostly ternate leaves (sometimes opposite or in fours) are narrowly ovate to ovate, 15 to 55 mm long, and generally dull, light green and paler below. They are sometimes strongly flushed with purple. The stipules are deciduous. The solitary flowers are held in the upper leaf axils and have a fusiform tube 5 to 10 mm long. The oblong-lanceolate sepals are 15 to 24 mm long and become spreading at anthesis. The tube and sepals are red to dark pink. The obovate petals are violet and 7 to 10 mm long.

The filaments are red-purple, anthers purplish, and style red. The flowers are solitary in the upper leaf axils and occur throughout the year but mainly from November to March. The berry is ellipsoid 14 to 17 mm long and purple at maturity. Natural hybridization with F. regia ssp. regia is known to occur.

Authors—Dryander 1789. Berry 1989.
Synonyms—Fuchsia elegans, Salisbury 1791; Fuchsia pendula, Salisbury 1796; Nahusia coccinea, (Dryander) Schneevoogt 1792; Fuchsia montana, Cambessedes 1830.
Herbaria—Berlin.

F. glazioviana
Brazil. Occurring in open campo and in cloud forest on a few high mountains around the towns of Nova Friburgo and Santa Maria Madalena, in Rio de Janeiro state at elevations from 1,500 to 2,100 meters. This is a shrub 0.5 to 4 meters high, often scandent in trees or low brush, with decumbent branches to 6 meters long.

The subdivaricate branchlets are generally densely packed, minutely puberulent, dull purplish, and exfoliate readily. The opposite or ternate leaves are elliptic or lanceolate, 15 to 30 (to 40) mm long, dark sublustrous green and glabrous above, and paler and subglabrous below (or sometimes pilose at the base of the midvein). The stipules are deciduous. The solitary flowers are held in the upper leaf axils and have a cylindrical tube 5 to 7 mm long. The narrowly lanceolate sepals are 17 to 22 mm long and become spreading at anthesis. The tube and sepals are red or pink. The obovate petals are purple and 9 to 12 mm long. The filaments are red-purple and style red. The flowers are solitary in the upper leaf axils and occur throughout the year, but mainly from November to March. The subcylindrical berry is 10 to 16 mm long and shiny dark purple. Natural hybridization with F. regia ssp. regia is known to occur.

Authors—Taubert 1892. Berry 1989.
Synonyms—Fuchsia santos-limae, Brade 1957.
Herbaria—Kew.

F. hatschbachii

Brazil. Occurring in low forests on limestone or sandstone outcrops, in the planalto to the north and west of Curitiba, Paraná at elevations from 950 to 1,150 meters. This is a semi-deciduous erect to scandent shrub 1 to 3 meters tall, or climbing in trees to 5 meters above the ground. The glabrous branchlets are dull purple and the older branches ascend on small shrubs or are decumbent in large or climbing plants.

The mostly opposite leaves (occasionally in whorls of 3 to 4) are narrowly lance-ovate, 30 to 75 (to 110) mm long (generally three times longer than wide), sublustrous dark green above, pale below, and glabrous on both sides (except for small tufts of hairs to 0.1 cm long at the base of the lower midvein). The stipules are semi-deciduous. The solitary flowers are held in the upper leaf axils and have a cylindrical tube 10 to 15 mm long. The sepals are connate at the base, 18 to 26 mm long, and become spreading at anthesis. The tube and sepals are red. The broadly obovate petals are violet and 12 to 17 mm long. The filaments are red, anthers red-purple, and style red. The flowers occur mainly from November to March. The subcylindrical, more-or-less four-angled, berry is 13 to 18 mm long and purple when ripe.

Authors—Berry 1989.
Herbaria—Kew 1, Kew 2; MIssouri 1, Missouri 2. Smithsonian.

F. magellanica
Southern Chile & Argentina. In moist scrub and along forest margins, especially near water, throughout the central and southern Andes of Chile and Argentina and in coastal Chile, from Valparaíso, Chile (32°50’ S) and Neuquén, Argentina (39°30’ S) to the southern

Tierra del Fuego (55° S, historically to 64° W) at elevations from sea level, throughout its range, to 1,750 meters in Central Chile near Santiago. It is geographically separated from the other eight species in this section by 1,000 to 1,500 kilometers. This is an erect to semiscandent shrub 0.5 to 3 (to 5) meters tall with tan to reddish branchlets and older stems, up to 25 cm in diameter at the base, with tan flaky bark. The opposite, ternate, or occasionally quaternate, leaves are (narrowly) elliptic-ovate, 15 to 55 (to 70) mm long, paler green on the lower surface than the upper, and occasionally

have reddish veins. The stipules are deciduous. The solitary flowers (rarely in pairs) are held in the upper leaf axils and have a cylindrical to narrowly obconic floral tube 7 to 15 mm long. The narrowly lanceolate sepals are connate at the base, 15 (to 17) to 25 (to 30) mm long and become spreading at anthesis. The tube and sepals are generally crimson red, or rarely pale whitish pink. The narrowly obovate petals are purple, or rarely pale pink, and (8 to) 11 to 20 mm long. The filaments are red-purple, anthers purplish, and style and stigma purple-red. Flowering is from December to March, but occasionally starts as early as October and can continue to as late as April. The narrowly oblong berry is (10 to) 15 to 22 mm long and dark purple. This is a variable species throughout its native range, even occasionally throwing very pale pink-flowered individuals, and it currently has no recognized varieties or subspecies. At the far northern edge of its range, it seems to form interspecific hybrids with F. lycioides. It is widely cultivated and has naturalized itself in parts of South America, East Africa, New Zealand, Ireland and Hawaii. The many so-called varieties commonly found in cultivation, however, have almost all been determined to be hybrids.

Authors—De Monet de Lamarck 1788. Berry 1989.
Synonyms—F. macrostema, Ruiz & Pavon 1802; Tilcum tinctorium, Molina 1810. F. gracilis, Lindley 1824; F. gracilis var. macrostema, (Ruiz & Pavon) Lindley 1827; F. gracilis var. multiflora, Lindley 1827; F. conica, Lindley 1827; F. macrostema var. conica, (Lindley) Sweet 1833; F. macrostema var. grandiflora, Hooker 1833; F. discolor, Lindley 183); F. coccinea var. macrostema, (Ruiz Pavon) Hooker 1847; F. coccinea var. robustior, Hooker 1847; F. chonotica, Philippi 1856; F. araucana, Philippi 1876; F. coccinea var. chonotica, (Philippi) Reiche 1897; F. magellanica var. gracilis, (Lindley) Bailey 1900; F. magellanica var. conica, (Lindley) Bailey 1900; F. magellanica var. discolor, (Lindley) Bailey 1900; F. magellanica var. molinae, Espinosa 1929; F. magellanica var. macrostema, (Ruiz & Pavon) Munz 1943; F. magellanica var. typica, Munz 1943; F. magellanica var. eburnea, Pisano 1979.
Herbaria—Arizona State 1, Arizona State 2; Field Museum; Kew 1 (as discolor), Kew 2 (as discolor), Kew 3 (as gracilis); Smithsonian.

F. regia (3 subspecies)
Authors—Vellozo 1943.

F. regia ssp. regia
Brazil. Found in the montane cloud forests of the Serra do Mar, Serra do Caparaó, Serra do Espinhaço, Serra da Caraça, Serra da Mantiqueira, Serra da Bocaina, and other subsidiary mountain ranges in Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and northern São Paulo states at elevations from 1,000 to 2,400 meters. This is a shrub 0.5 to 5 meters tall, occasionally erect but usually scandent, or a liana in trees to 15 meters tall. The generally glaucous branchlets are wine purple, occasionally loosely to densely pilose, and the older plants have long hanging branches to 5 meters long. The opposite leaves (or in whorls of 3 and 4) are elliptic to lance-elliptic or ovate, 4 to 14 cm long, sublustrous green above, often with reddish-tinged veins and paler green below, sometimes with tufts of pilose hairs at the base of the lower mid-vein. The stipules at the base are usually persistent but the tips deciduous. The solitary lowers are held in the upper leaf axils and have a narrowly to broadly cylindrical-fusiform tube 10 to 16 mm long. The narrowly lanceolate sepals are 24 to 45 mm long and become spreading at anthesis. The tube and sepals are red to rose. The obovate petals are violet and 13 to 22 mm long. The filaments are red-purple and stigma red. The flowers occur from October to April. The oblong-ellipsoid berry is 20 to 25 mm long and purple when ripe. Natural hybridization with F. alpestris, F. campos-portoi, F. coccinea, F. glazioviana and F. regia ssp. serrae is known to occur.

Authors—Berry 1989.
Synonyms—F. integrifolia, Cambessedes 1830; F. pyrifolia, Presl 1834; F. regia var. typica, Munz 1943.
Herbarium Specimens—Smithsonian 1; Smithsonian 2.

F. regia ssp. reitzii

Brazil. Occurring principally in low wooded areas and usually along streams or seepages, on the planalto west of the Serra Geral and Serra do Mar in south-central Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul at elevations from 800 to 1,750 meters. At the top of the escarpments of the coastal mountain ranges this subspecies intergrades with F. regia ssp. serrae.

This is an erect to scandent shrub 1 to 3 meters tall, or climber in trees or brush to 4 meters tall. The young branches are purplish, and subglabrous to densely puberulent or pilose, and the older stems are reddish to pale tan with readily exfoliating bark. The leaves occur in whorls of 3 or 4 (to 5), (narrowly) elliptic to narrowly ovate-elliptic, 20 to 65 (to 90) mm long, 7 to 20 (to 40) mm wide, dark dull green and sub glabrous above, and pale green and subglabrous to densely pubescent below. The stipules at the tips are semi-persistent. The solitary flowers (sometimes two per leaf axil) are held near the branch tips and have a cylindrical fusiform tube 5 to 9 (to 11) mm long. The narrowly lance-oblong sepals are 17 to 28 mm long and become spreading at anthesis. The tube and sepals are red. The obovate petals are purple and 10 to 15 (to 20) mm long. The filaments are reddish, and anthers red-purple. The flowers occur from November to March. The globose to ellipsoid berry is (10 to) 12 to 16 mm long and shiny dark purple when ripe.

Authors—Berry 1989.
Synonyms—F. pubescens, Cambessedes 1839.
Herbaria—Kew; Paris.

F. regia ssp. serrae
Brazil. Scandent to climbing in high trees typical of the dense cloud forests on the crest and wet, coastal escarpments of the Serra do Mar and Serra Geral, in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and southern Rio de Janeiro States at elevations from

500 to 1,450 meters. It is also found at lower elevations on the top of isolated morros in the Atlantic coastal forest of Santa Catarina, or rarely occurs near sea level in coastal resting as in northern Rio Grande do Sul and southern Santa Catarina. This is a scandent to climbing shrub 1 to 4 meters tall, or liana in trees to 15 meters high. The branchlets are generally finely puberulent and the lateral ones often short and divaricate. The older branches on large plants hang to 6 meters long, with basal stems to 6 cm in diameter. The opposite leaves (or in whorls of 3 to 4) are (narrowly) ovate to elliptic, (35 to) 60 to 110 mm long, lustrous dark green above, pale below, and glabrous to lightly pubescent on both surfaces. The stipules are persistent. The solitary flowers are held in the upper leaf axils and have a cylindrical-fusiform tube (6 to) 7 to 15 mm long. The sepals are (15 to) 19 to 34 mm long and connate at the base for (5 to) 8 to 10 (to 14) mm forming a long, usually four-ridged sepal tube, and become spreading to most often recurved, or rarely reflexed, at anthesis. The tube and petals are bright red. The obovate to spathulate petals are violet and 11 to 20 mm long. The filaments are red, anthers red-purple, and style and stigma also red. The oblong berry is 16 to 26 mm long and purple when ripe. Natural hybridization with F. brevilobis, F. regia ssp. regia and F. regia ssp. reitzii is known to occur.

Authors—Berry 1989.
Synonyms—F. affinis, Cambessedes 1830; F. radicans, Miers 1841; F. regia var. affinis, (Cambessedes) Munz 1943; F. regia var. radicans, (Miers) Munz 1943.
Herbaria—Kew; MIssouri 1, Missouri 2.

[F. regia ssp. radicans]
According to Dr. Paul E. Berry, professor, director and curator at the University of Michigan's Herbarium and the world's leading authority and expert currently working on the genus, there will likely be an additional subspecies recognized by him as F. regia ssp. radicans in a future publication.

➤ Genus Index