Fuchsia splendens aka Splendid Fuchsia

Fuchsia splendens is a shrub in the evening primrose family. Its range runs from southern Mexico into Central America. Common names include platanillo and chilli pepper fuchsia. It grows in wet mountain forests, including pine and oak woods. Some plants root on cliffs or mossy tree branches. This tree-growing habit makes it an epiphyte, rather than a parasite.

Garden plants reach about 1.6–3.3 feet (0.5–1 metre) tall and wide. Another account lists a height of 6.6 feet (2 metres). Wild plants can reach 20 feet (6 metres), but most stay smaller. The shrub grows upright and has soft wood. Its leaves are bright green. It sheds its leaves, though some remain in mild sites. Plants may have few or many branches.

The long flowers hang down from the stems. Each has a pink tube and coral-red sepals with green tips. The corolla is green. Warm conditions can keep flowers coming throughout the year. Insects pollinate the flowers, and plants are self-fertile. Long, purple berries follow the blooms. These juicy fruits can reach about 1.6 inches (0.04 metres) long. People eat them raw and gather them from wild plants. Accounts describe a tart, lemon-like taste, sometimes with a peppery finish.

Grow this species in a sheltered spot with fertile, well-drained loam. It accepts acid, neutral, or alkaline soil. Under glass, give it bright light without direct sun. Keep the compost just moist. Plants can spend summer outdoors in sun or part shade. Strong sun may make the leaves pale. Water freely outdoors during summer, and feed monthly through spring and summer. A cool, frost-free greenhouse suits winter care. The RHS rates it H2: it tolerates cold but not freezing. PFAF lists USDA zones 8–11.

Its flowers suit containers, patios, courtyards, and conservatories. Softwood cuttings can root at any time of year. Watch for aphids, capsid bugs, vine weevils, and fuchsia flea beetles. Fuchsia gall mites and glasshouse red spider mites may also attack. Disease risks include rust and grey mould; honey fungus is rare. PFAF and Useful Tropical Plants report no known hazards. The RHS page also describes the berries as edible. The supplied toxicity label conflicts with that page text. No medicinal uses are recorded.