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Fuchsia boliviana
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Posted by melrt968 u.k. scotland (My Page) on Mon, Aug 29, 05 at 11:33
Earlier this yeat I purchased 6 plants of F.boliviana three red and three white i.e. F.boliviana Alba. I lost one of the red plants shortly after potting up but the remainig five plants have grown.
My question is: Why have the F.boliviana Alba grown much better and more quickly than the red form? The two red form are only about 9" high and though healthy have been outstripped by the three white form plants which are now about 3-4 feet high and just beginning to flower. I would have expected the white form, which I have assumed is a mutation, to be less vigorous.
I also grow blue poppies M.betonicafolia and I have a few of the white form, these plants are much less vigorous than the blue forms. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Fuchsia boliviana
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| Hi I don’t grow Boliviana Alba, but I do grow Bolivian var pubescens (as identified by Jack Lamb) which I find grows very eratically. I have a cutting that I took early season and this has made about 6" growth, while the one I took mid season is about 18" and has already been stopped and potted on for next year……. strange plant. The Bolivian var pubescens that I grow throws masses of blooms,  I think that you have to persevere and try a variety of locations, I found that mine flowered well in dappled shade with minimum attention. The last ‘stop’ on these is approximately 14 weeks so they need pinching early in the season for best results.
Tight…. |
RE: Fuchsia boliviana
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| Fuchsia boliviana seems to be highly variable. Moreover, I think many of the plants labeled as red F. boliviana are actually hybrids, whereas the albas are genuine F. boliviana. I suspect the "species" is actually a clade and that habit varies quite a bit by provenance. Some red forms have an apple green leaf that is somewhat shiny. Var. alba always has a glaucous or gray tone in the leaf and is finely pubescent. I would seek out red-flowered plants that share this same foliage characteristic. |
RE: Fuchsia boliviana
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| Thank you both very much. To judge from the flowers the large plants seem to be genuine F.Bolivianna, the others are not at a stage where I can make an assessment. Next task will be to read a bit more about cladistics!!!. |
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