Fuchsia is named after Leonhart Fuchs, a botanist of Germany, in order to pay a tribute to his literary work ‘De Historia Stirpium’. What makes fuchsia a highly adorable and a popular flower is the striking colour range in which it is found – from warm reds, pinks, oranges or purples to the cooler shades of blue and white. Fuchsias are best described as ‘hanging flowers’ because of their ornamental ‘teardrop’ appearance. This tubular flower has long protruding stamens and stands on a slender stem and it belongs to the evening primrose family.

Fuchsias prefer rich, moist and well drained soil and grow best in partial shade. The existing 100-120 species of the genus fuchsia are predominantly found in South America, New Zealand and Tahiti and also in a few places of Central America and Mexico. The different species can either be deciduous or evergreen which blossom all through the summer and autumn and sometimes throughout the whole year. The fruit contains many seeds and is edible.

Since fuchsia does not require any special care and can be grown with minimal effort, it is highly regarded as a popular decorative garden flower and it is mainly cultivated for commercial purposes.