Bitterroot Restoration

Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae

Fuchsia is a genus of flowering plants, mostly shrubs, and can grow long shoots. The great majority are native to South America. Fuchsia leaves are opposite or in whorls of 3–5, simple lanceolate and usually have serrated margins (entire in some species), 1–25 cm long, and can be either deciduous or evergreen, depending on the species. The flowers are very decorative, pendulous "eardrop" shape, borne in profusion throughout the summer and autumn, and all year in tropical species.

They have four long, slender sepals and four shorter, broader petals; in many species the sepals are bright red and the petals purple (colours that attract the hummingbirds that pollinate them), but the colours can vary from white to dark red, purple-blue, and orange. A few have yellowish tones, and recent hybrids have added the colour white in various combinations. The ovary is inferior and the fruit is a small (5–25 mm) dark reddish green, deep red, or deep purple, edible epigynous berry, containing numerous very small seeds. Fuchsia will add many colorful blooms to any home. The bell-shaped flowers come in a variety of colors and work well in hanging baskets as houseplants.