''Fuchsia triphylla'' is one of over 110 species that comprise the genus ''

Fuchsia ''Fuchsia'' () is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. The first to be scientifically described, ''Fuchsia triphylla'', was discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) ...

''. Due to its attractiveness and its extensive blooming period which spans from early spring to late autumn, the plant has found a major role as a popular species to breed. This has a resulted in an extensive breed of

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s allowing it to grow in various settings around the world. The visually appealing flowers of the ''Fuchsia triphylla'' have contributed to some of the most elegant ''Fuchsia'' hybrids produced today.

Description

''Fuchsia triphylla'' are small

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

plants. They can grow as high as two or three feet. The leaves are simple,

elliptical Elliptical may mean: * having the shape of an ellipse, or more broadly, any oval shape ** in botany, having an elliptic leaf shape ** of aircraft wings, having an elliptical planform * characterised by ellipsis (the omission of words), or by conc ...

, and quite large. The petiole insertion is whorled and characterized with a red or maroon tint on the underside of the leaves. The flowers of ''Fuchsia triphylla'' are long and tubular. Flowers are generally a red-orange or red-purple color. They tend to droop over and have

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s that extend from the tip. As far as reproduction, this species produces a large amount of both flowers and seeds. ''Fuchsia triphylla'' use their appealing nature to their advantage in their life cycle. The beautiful flowers they produce attract many different organisms, particularly

hummingbirds Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

, which come and transport

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

between flowers for germination.

Taxonomy

As a member of the genus ''

'', ''Fuchsia triphylla'' is a member of the family

Onagraceae The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about 650 species of herbs, shrubs, and treesPhilip A. Munz broke the genus down into nine

sections Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

. As the first species described in the genus, ''Fuchsia triphylla'' is in Section ''

'', which is the largest section of ''Fuchsia''.. Because ''Fuchsia triphylla'' is popular worldwide, it has also developed several common names. Some of these names include ''Honeysuckle Fuchsia'', ''Firecracker Fuchsia'' and ''Fuchsia Thalia''.

History

Charles Plumier is accredited with both the discovery and naming of ''Fuchsia''. In the early 18th century, Plumier made an expedition to the Americas in search of a new genus. ''Fuchsia triphylla'' is the species that Plumier initially came upon and returned to France with. First, he named the genus ''Fuchsia'' after Leonhart Fuchs. Leonhart Fuchs was a popular German Medical Doctor who spent an immense amount of time studying plants with ambitions of discovering herbal remedies. ''Fucshia'' made its first official appearance in ''Nova Plantarum Americanum''. ''Fuchsia triphylla'' was one of the first species named due to its early discovery, although new species have been continually discovered over the past several centuries. Plumier’s first encounter occurred on the hills of the Caribbean Islands. ''Fuchsia triphylla'' is native to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

and the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

Cultivation

''Fuchsia triphylla'' is a popular species for cultivation, primarily for ornamental purposes. Although the plant is capable of living in a decent range of environments, the ideal conditions greatly resemble its place of discovery. Ideal temperatures are just below during the day and just over at night. The plant also grows best when not overly exposed to direct sunlight. It thrives in well-drained soils with a pH range of 6–7. This is all characteristic of the mountainous regions where this plant seems to be most commonly found in the wild. Another reason these are good garden plants is their unlikelihood to get pests or diseases. The most commonly found pests, however, tend to be

whitefly Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described. Description and taxonomy The ...

References

* Baum, Werner C. “Terminology in the Plant Sciences.” A Publication of the Botanical Society of America, Inc. 16. (1970): 1-28 * * * Breedlove, Dennis E. The Systematics of Fuchsia Section Encliandra (Onagraceaea). Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1969. * Caring for Fuchsia. 26 April 2009. Woman Knows. * Knoblock, Irving W. “A Plants and Man Course.” A Publication of the Botanical Society of America, Inc. 23. (1977): 2-13 * ZipcodeZoo.com. The Bay Science Foundation. 1 March 2009. < http://zipcodezoo.com/Key/Plantae/Fuchsia_Genus.asp> {{Taxonbar, from=Q642915 triphylla Flora of Haiti Flora of the Dominican Republic Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Garden plants of North America Flora without expected TNC conservation status