Floral biology of Tree Fuchsia
Tree fuchsia is gynodioecious. This means that there are two types (sexes) of plants; hermaphrodites (the flowers produce both pollen and seeds) and females (the flowers only produce seeds - their anthers do not make viable pollen). The only way of distinguishing between the two sexual morphs is to look at the flowers.
Hermaphrodite flowers (left) produce fluffy bright blue pollen from the anthers. The anthers of female flowers (right) never open to release pollen. Female flowers are also smaller.
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Hermaphrodite (left) and female flowers (right) |
Birds (and some insects) visit the flowers of tree fuchsia to feed on the nectar, which is available when flowers are young and greenish in colour. Once the flowers turn red, the nectar supply has stopped, and birds will ignore them.
Individual flowers can last over 10 days before the flower falls off (abscises), leaving the ovary.
As a flower ages there are several sexual phases it will go through. There are some general changes in the flowers that enable you to tell how old the flower is. This table provides a summary of the sexual stages that a flower goes through as it ages.
Description of the stage that each flower goes through as it ages.
see photo gallery
Early |
Green |
Stigma glossy and yellow |
Anthers not open, no pollen visible |
Middle |
Green with a touch of red or purple |
Stigma darkening, yellow/red |
Lots of bright blue pollen on the anthers |
Transitional |
More red/purple than green |
Stigma red/yellow |
Pollen starts to fade to a pale blue, less pollen visible on the anthers |
Old |
Bright red |
Stigma starting to wither |
Anthers starting to wither |
* Flower colouration can vary greatly with such factors as level of shade and individual plant variations.
** On female flowers the anthers never open.
Interested in finding out more about New Zealand fuchsias? See the following references:
- Robertson AW, Ladley JJ, Kelly D, McNutt KL, Peterson PG, Merrett MF, Karl BJ (2008) Assessing pollination and fruit dispersal in Fuchsia excorticata (Onagraceae). New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2008, Vol. 46: 299–314
- Sessions L. M. (2001) The fading of Fuchsia. Forest and Bird. 299, 28-31.
- Delph L. F., Lively C. M. (1985). Pollinator visits to floral colour phases of Fuchsia excorticata. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 12, 599-603.
- Delph L. F., Lively C. M. (1989). The evolution of floral colour change: Pollinator attraction versus physiological constraints in Fuchsia excorticata. Evolution. 43(6), 1252-1262.
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