Back to the Fuchsia

The accolade of having a plant named after you is somewhat diminished when you don’t get to enjoy the plant in your lifetime. Leonhart Fuchs lived from 1501-1566 but never saw a fuchsia. The plant was discovered in the Caribbean in 1697 by the French botanical explorer Charles Plumier. Plumier’s priority for naming plants was to honour earlier scientists who had made a major contribution to botany.

Fuchs was a German physician with a special interest in the medicinal properties of plants. His groundbreaking theories advocated the use of herbs, or “simples”, rather than medieval medicine’s tendency to brew complex potions. Cannabis gets an early mention in one of Fuchs’s publications, alongside numerous Asian, African and American plants that had recently been introduced to Europe.

His first claim to fame was finding a cure for “English sweating sickness”, a virulent epidemic possibly related to typhoid. Fuchs also produced what became a standard reference book on the anatomy of the eye and its diseases.

The fuchsia genus seems a legacy worthy of a man who was a pioneer in his field. With over 100 species, this relative of the evening primrose brightens up gardens with its distinctive red, purple and pink bell-shaped flowers. The “pirouetting ballerina” blooms are much visited by bees.

Fuchsias are also easy to grow. They tolerate soil of any type as long as it’s well-dug and well-drained, and prefer partial shade as strong midday sun can be too harsh.

Leonhart Fuchs would have been proud.