Scrambling Fuchsia

Botanical name: Fuchsia perscandens
Synonyms: None
Common name(s): Scrambling Fuchsia, Climbing Fuchsia

About:
Scrambling Fuchsia is an unusual native climbing or trailing shrub with slender arching stems, pale peeling bark and small green-and-purple flowers. Its growth habit varies according to the support available: it may scramble through surrounding vegetation, trail across the ground or form a low spreading shrub in exposed places.

Although widespread through much of New Zealand, it is often uncommon and locally distributed. Its delicate flowers and dark purple berries resemble smaller versions of those produced by Kōtukutuku, Fuchsia excorticata.

Natural habitat:
Occurs in coastal to montane forests, forest clearings, forest margins, shrublands, river terraces and remnants of lowland swamp forest.

It also grows amongst rocks, on limestone outcrops and through low coastal vegetation. It is particularly associated with cool, moist environments from sea level to approximately 750 metres above sea level.

Growing environment:
Prefers cool, moist, fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. It grows best where its roots remain shaded and moist while the stems can reach into lighter conditions.

Scrambling Fuchsia tolerates frost, wind and seasonally damp ground but may lose its leaves during cold or exposed winters. Plants growing in sheltered forest conditions may retain their foliage for most of the year.

Endemic distribution:
Endemic to New Zealand.

Found in the North and South Islands from near Pipiwai in Northland south to Southland, although it is often uncommon across large parts of its range.

Height:
Approximately 1–3 m when scrambling through vegetation, with stems reaching up to 5 m long

Width:
Approximately 1.5–3 m, spreading by trailing and layering stems

Flowering:
July–December, with peak flowering during October and November

Fruiting:
November–March

Uses:
• Native forest restoration
• Forest-margin planting
• Wildlife habitat
• Bird and pollinator food
• Ground cover beneath trees
• Native climber for trellises and banks
• Rock and limestone gardens
• Botanical collections

Appearance:
Growth habit:
A semi-trailing, scrambling shrub or slender woody climber. Its main shoots initially grow upright before arching over surrounding vegetation or trailing along the ground in search of support.

Stems that contact moist soil may take root and form new plants, allowing established specimens to spread into loose colonies.

Trunk/Bark:
The main stems may reach approximately 5 cm in diameter and are generally sparingly branched.

Young branchlets are lightly hairy. Older stems have pale brown to orange-fawn bark that peels away in thin papery flakes or narrow strips.

Leaves:
Leaves are thin, broadly rounded to oval and usually about 2–3 cm long. They are carried on slender stalks and have shallowly toothed margins.

The upper surface is green to dark green, while the underside is noticeably paler and may have a bluish-grey or silvery appearance. Leaves are mostly deciduous in exposed places but may persist longer on sheltered plants.

Flowers:
The small pendent flowers are produced singly or occasionally in groups of two or three from the leaf axils, short branches and sometimes older stems.

The floral tube is initially green and develops reddish-brown or purple tones as it ages. Four narrow sepals surround small green to dark purple petals, while the long style and stamens project beyond the flower.

Some plants bear bisexual flowers, while others produce functionally female flowers. The blooms are visited by native birds and insects seeking nectar.

Fruit:
The fruit is a small elongated berry approximately 5–10 mm long.

It changes from red or reddish-purple to very dark purple as it ripens. Fruit production is generally less abundant than in Kōtukutuku.

Seeds:
Each berry contains numerous minute, pale brown seeds.

The seeds are dispersed after the fruit is eaten by birds and possibly native reptiles and invertebrates. Likely dispersers include tūī, korimako, silvereye and introduced blackbirds and thrushes.

Ecology:
Scrambling Fuchsia contributes nectar and fruit to forest-margin and shrubland ecosystems. Its flowers support native pollinating birds and insects, while the berries provide seasonal food for fruit-eating wildlife.

Trailing stems provide low cover and shelter for forest-floor invertebrates. By rooting where they contact the ground, plants can spread vegetatively and persist within disturbed forest remnants.

The species naturally hybridises with Kōtukutuku, Fuchsia excorticata, producing the highly variable hybrid Fuchsia × colensoi.

Associated habitats:
Lowland forest, swamp-forest remnants, coastal shrubland, forest margins, clearings, river terraces, rocky ground and limestone country.

Common associated species include kahikatea, māhoe, wineberry, koromiko, Coprosma species, tree ferns, broadleaf, Kōtukutuku and low-growing native shrubs.

How to grow:
Plant in moist, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Provide a low trellis, fence, bank or neighbouring shrub through which the stems can scramble.

Water regularly during establishment and mulch around the roots to maintain cool, moist conditions. Avoid prolonged drought and excessively hot, exposed positions.

Plants may be lightly pruned after fruiting to control their spread, remove old stems and encourage fresh branching.

Propagation:
Propagation is possible from fresh seed, cuttings or naturally rooted stem sections.

Remove seed from ripe berries and sow onto the surface of a fine, moist seed-raising mix. Cover only very lightly and keep shaded until germination.

Semi-hardwood cuttings and layered stems usually root readily when kept evenly moist.

Cultural use:
No specific traditional Māori uses are widely recorded for Scrambling Fuchsia, although its edible berries are similar to the kōnini of Kōtukutuku and may also have been eaten.

The species name perscandens refers to its climbing or scrambling growth habit. The genus Fuchsia commemorates the German physician and botanist Leonhart Fuchs.

Garden value:
Scrambling Fuchsia is an attractive native climber for cool, moist gardens, forest margins and naturalistic plantings. Its small colourful flowers, pale-backed leaves and dark purple berries provide seasonal interest while supporting native birds and insects.

Its adaptable scrambling habit allows it to be used as a loose ground cover, bank plant or informal climber beneath established trees. It is particularly valuable for adding complexity and wildlife habitat to native restoration plantings.