Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Fuchsia
Species: F procumbens
Scientific name: Fuchsia procumbens
Synonyms: Fuchsia kirkii
Common Names: Creeping fuchsia, Shore fuchsia, Climbing fuchsia, Trailing fuchsia
Fuchsia procumbens is a native plant naturally uncommon and is the smallest fuchsia in the world. It is strictly a coastal species This species is found on sandy, gravelly or rocky places near the sea in the North Island from North Cape to Maunganui Bluff on the west coast, and to the northern part of Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast.
It is often found growing just above the high-tide mark., where it is sometimes inundated by extra high tides. It is a naturalised plant on Kapiti Island. It is now planted in gardens as a ground cover in both sunny and shady places.
It is a slender, much branched prostrate or trailing shrub. Its stems very slender, often 60 to 90 cm long and the bark is brown and peeling. It has rounded green leaves about 10mm in diameter. The flowers are unusual for a fuchsia in that they are upright (a distinction it shares with F. arborescens of Mexico) and yellow in colour with the red anthers. The pollen is blue. The flowers occur in September - May followed by edible red berries in early winter.
It is now a rare species in the wild because of the destruction of its natural habitat and is listed as an endangered plant species.
Photographed at Te Kainga Marire Gardens at Spencer Place
The flower buds.
Fuchsia procumbens upright growing flower.
A flower with no blue pollen left.on the anthers.
The fruit
Close up of a Fuchsia procumbens leaf
Close up of the underside of a Fuchsia procumbens leaf
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
