Fuchsia Flowers

A Fuchsia flower typically consists of an inferior ovary, a tube, four tepals, four petals that form the corolla one stigma and up to eight stamens. Most flowers hang down, but in some species, most notably, in F. procumbens, the flowers point up.

Parts of the flower
Tube
Tepals
Corolla
Stigma and Stamens
Position

The tube joins the ovary to the tepals and sepals. Nectar is usually found at the top of the tube. The length of the tube varies with species and hybrid.

All fuchsia flowers have four tepals. These cover and protect the flower parts during the bud stage. The tepals are mostly the same colour as the tube but in certain species, it may be lighter or white, or may have be green. Tepals may be long or short, and when open, it may either hang down or be recurved up. For example, the above is Fuchsia "Preston Guild" and the tepals are recurved up.

Species fuchsia typically have four petals in the corolla. Fuchsia breeders have bred "double" varieties by using a mutation that causes the stamens to flatten out to become additional petals. Flowers that have four petals are classified as single, between four and eight as semi-double and eight or more as fully double. The petals often have a different colour from the tube and tepals and gives the flowers a two tone appeal. The petals may also be strongly veined. The veins are usually darker.

The stigma usually descends further than the stamens and is receptive from the time the flower opens. The stamens do not start to shed pollen until days later. This is adaption is to discourage self-pollination. The pollen is typically white or light yellow, but may also be blue as in F. procumbens.

The flowers arise mostly from the leaf axils. Each leaf axil contains two flower buds and one lateral shoot bud. In certain species of fuchsia however, the flowers are found in terminal racemes.