Fuchsia regia
Distribution: This is the most widely distributed species of Fuchsia in Brazil, occurring in the states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do SuI from 18°20'S to 29°30'S. Most common between 700 and 2,000 m, on the upper, wettest slopes of ranges such as the Serra do Mar, Serra Geral, Serra da Mantiqueira, and Serra do Espinhaco. Fuchsia regia subsp. reitzii is associated with the Araucaria forests of the southern planalto from Parana to Rio Grande do SuI. Plants occasionally occur as high as 2,400 m on Mt. Itatiaia and at sea level in coastal restingas of Santa Catarina and Rio 'Grande do SuI.
Habit: Erect to generally scandent or climbing shrubs 0.5- 5 m tall, or lianas up to 15 m high in trees. Branchlets wine purple, glabrous to puberulent, rarely densely pilose; main branches ascending in small plants, decumbent to drooping and 1-6 m long in large ones.
Leaves: Leaves opposite, or in whorls of 3, 4, or rarely 5, firmly membranous to coriaceous, (narrowly) elliptic-ovate to ovate, 20-140 mm long, 8-70 mm wide, apex acute to acuminate, base acute to rounded, glabrous to pilose on both surfaces; margin entire to gland-serrate, secondary veins 4-10 per side. Petioles 1-3 mm thick, 335 mm long. Stipules triangular, membranous to thick-stubby, 0.8-3 mm long, 0.4-3 mm wide, adjacent ones sometimes fused, usually recurved with age, ephemeral to persistent.
Flowers: Flowers solitary or rarely in pairs in upper leafaxils, pedicels pendulous, 10-55 mm long, usually wine red, ovary oblong, 5-12 mm long, 2-4 mm wide, floral tube cylindrical-fusiform, 5-16 mm long, 3-7 mm wide, glabrous to puberulent or pilose outside, nectary smooth or lightly ridged, 2.5-8 mm high, sepals 15-45 mm long, connate at the base for 3-14 mm, free lobes 3-9 mm wide at base, spreading to recurved or reflexed at anthesis, Tube and sepals red or rose, petals purple, obovate to spathulate, 10-25 mm long, 8-16 mm wide, filaments redpurple, 25-45 mm and 20-38 mm long, anthers oblong, purplish, 2-5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, style glabrous to pubescent in lower JA, stigma clavate, 2-6 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, exserted 825 mm beyond the anthers.
Fruit: Berry oblong, ellipsoid or globose, 10-27 mm long, 9-13 mm thick, dark purple when ripe.
Seeds: Seeds tan, oblong to narrowly triangular, laterally compressed, 1.6-2.5 mm long, 1-1.6 mm wide.
Chromosomes: Gametic chromosome numbers n = 22,44.
Notes: Flowers mainly from October to April.