Fuchsia coccinea
Distribution: Occurs in rocky, open campo near the summits of several of the highest mountains in Minas Gerais: Serra da Piedade, Serra da Caraca, Serra do Itacolomi, and Pico do Itambe, from 1,400 to 2,000 m.
Habit: Erect shrubs 0.5-1.5 m tall, or scandent to 7 m high, often with extensive underground stems. Young growth puberulent to densely pilose, older stems 5-20 mm thick, with exfoliating bark.
Leaves: Leaves mostly ternate, sometimes opposite or in 4s, membranous or rarely subcoriaceous, narrowly ovate to ovate, 15-55 mm long, 7-25 mm wide, acute to subacuminate at the apex, subcordate or sometimes rounded at the base, generally dull, light green, paler below, sometimes strongly purpleflushed, subglabrous to puberulent on both sides, but generally densely pilose along the basal Y3 of the midvein below; margins serrulate or occasionally subentire, secondary veins 4-6 per side. Petioles short and stout, ca. 1 mm thick, 1-3 mm long, occasionally longer on basal leaves, usually densely pilose or hirsute. Stipules narrowly lanceolate, 0.8-1.4 mm long, deciduous.
Flowers: Flowers solitary in the upper leafaxils, pedicels slender, pubescent 18-42(-50) mm long, divergent or arching from the stems and pendent only in the distal third, ovary oblong-ellipsoid, 5-9 mm long, 2.5-3 mm thick, floral tube fusiform, 5-10 mm long, 2.53 mm wide at the base, 3.5-4.5 mm wide in the middle and 3-4 mm wide at the top, sub glabrous to puberulent outside, puberulent inside, nectary smooth, 2-3 mm high, sepals 15-24 mm long, oblong-lanceolate, lightly pubescent, connate at the base for 4-7 mm, free lobes 3.5-6 mm wide, acute at the apex, spreading at anthesis. Tube and sepals red to dark pink, petals violet, obovate, 7-10 mm long, 6-8(-9) mm wide, filaments red-purple, 1838 mm and 13-30 mm long, anthers purplish, 22.5 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm wide, style puberulent, red, stigma clavate, 1.5-2 mm long, exserted sIS mm beyond the anthers.
Fruit: Mature berry ellipsoid, 14-1 7 mm long, ca. 12 mm thick, purple;
Seeds: seeds oblong-triangular, 1.4-1.9 mm long, 0.8-1.2 mm wide.
Chromosomes: Gametic chromosome number n = 22.s
Notes: Flowers throughout the year, mainly from November to March.