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In Bloom

Fuchsia boliviana is located in the Meso-American Cloud Forest in beds 24c, 24d and 25b; in the Andean Cloud Forest in beds 53I and 57A.

Location Scientific Name Fuchsia boliviana Family Onagraceae Plant Type Perennial shrub Environment Thrives in the Bay Area's foggy, cool climate. Prefers shade or part sun, ample water. Protect from extreme temperatures, frost. Bloom In bloom throughout the year, but late Summer/Fall is the best show. Evergreen. Uses Lovely ornamental flowers attract hummingbirds. Produces sweet edible fruit that is sold fresh in markets throughout South America. More Info Images and information on F. boliviana The American Fuchsia Society Breedlove, D. E. Fuchsias Cultivated in California Native to N. and S. America, California Horticultural Journal, vol. 32, Jan. 1971. Profile Contributor: Fred Bové

One of the most enchanting of all flowering plants is the fuchsia with its recurved sepals half covering the dainty pendant petals beneath. Named after a German botanist of the 16th century, Leonard Fuchs, fuchsias grow in the cloud forests of Central and South America, New Zealand, the West Indies and Tahiti. They range from ground-creeping species to shrubs, vines and small trees, and are of a woody nature. Excellent jam can be made from the berries of some varieties.

European botanists first identified F. boliviana in 1876 at high altitudes in Bolivia. It is also found in neighboring Argentina and Peru. An erect shrub often reaching 12-feet high, its narrow scarlet sepals dangle gracefully from many branches. The stigma and stamens, – pollen covered – protrude from barely visible petals. Leaves are oval-shaped, downy, and marked with deep veins. Cultivar F. boliviana 'Alba' (Bed 55c) has white sepals with scarlet petals.

The popularity of fuchsias reached their height in England during the Victorian era, when many botanical explorers hunted worldwide for new exotic plants. It was also an era of glass conservatories built to shelter new frost-tender plants, and was followed by the development of hundreds of fuchsia cultivars. The American Fuchsia Society, founded in Berkeley in 1929, meets in the San Francisco County Fair Building, and is the main source for fuchsia distribution and information.

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Magnolia campbellii January	Magnolia denudata February	Magnolia x veitchii March
Iris douglasiana April

Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku' January	Magnolia campbellii 'Darjeeling' February	Bomarea spp. March
Rhododendron occidentale April	Polystichum munitum May	x Chiranthofremontia lenzii June
Salvia leucantha July	Hydrangea seemannii August	Wollemia nobilis September
Cyathea cooperi October	Pinus radiata November	Correa spp. December

Garrya elliptica January	Magnolia x soulangeana February	Senecio glastifolius March
Ribes spp. April	Oxalis oregana May	Calandrinia grandiflora June
Taxus baccata July	Romneya coulteri August	Passiflora parritae September
Malvaviscus arboreus October	Monterey Cypress November	Aloe arborescens December

Aloe plicatilis January	Banksia seminuda February	Zantedeschia aethiopica March
Magnolia laevifolia April	Araucaria heterophylla May	Toxicodendron diversilobum June
Clarkia sp. July	Agapanthus August	Brugmansia September
Cedrus spp. October	Protea repens November	Camellia sinensis December

Thujopsis dolabrata January	Gordonia longicarpa February	Rojasianthe superba March
Echium spp. April	Iris douglasiana May	Digitalis purpurea June
Felicia amelloides July	Ceroxylon quindiuense August	Amaryllis belladonna September
Ginkgo biloba October	Acer morrisonense November	Ilex aquifolium December

Picea sitchensis January	Telanthophora grandifolia February	Aeonium arboreum 'Schwartzkopf' March
Leptospermum April	Salvia gesneraeflora May	Lavandula spp. June
Pelargonium July	Fuchsia paniculata August	Luma apiculata September
Luculia October	Arbutus unedo November	Cycad December

Restionaceae January	Hellebores February	Ceanothus March
Rhododendron April	Psoralea pinnata May	Fremontodendron californicum June
Leucadendron argenteum July	Crocosmia August	Gunnera tinctoria September
Pellaea rotundifolia October	Fuchsia boliviana November	Erica canaliculata December

Magnolia campbelli January	Magnolia denudata February	Camellia March
Geranium maderense April	Acmena smithii May	Eschscholzia californica June
Dendromecon harfordii July	Romneya coulteri August	Eupatorium purpureum September
Epilobium canum sp. October	Grevillea spp. November	Drimys winteri December