Fuchsia magellanica 'Arauco'
2nd September 2017
Very like F. 'Lady Bacon' but slightly smaller in all its parts. I got it as F. magellanica var. arauco which was a satisfying name,
implying that it came from a natural population somewhere and represented a distinct part of the range of variability of the species. A satisfying name
because a wild population might explain where the otherwise strange and unique 'Lady Bacon' came from. Unfortunately for tidy storytelling, The Plant List
(part sponsored by Kew) doesn't recognise the name so it hasn't been properly published. I am therefore following the cyber-gossip and treating it as a cultivar.
Perhaps a clearer picture will emerge uin time.
An automatic translation from a Dutch web page tells me that "Small flowers squeak from the equally fine foliage." I can live with that. Apparently it came
from the Chilean province of Arauco but further information has eluded me.
17th July 2018