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Fuchsia excorticata
Also called Tree fuchsia, Kōtukutuku
Fuchsia excorticata, the kōtukutuku or tree fuchsia, is a deciduous New Zealand native and the largest fuchsia species, reaching about 13 m. It is grown mainly as a garden or specimen tree in mild, moist climates, with good drainage and some shelter.
Fuchsia excorticata, commonly known as the kōtukutuku and tree fuchsia, is a species of tree in the family Onagraceae that is endemic to New Zealand. It is the largest Fuchsia species and is deciduous, an uncommon trait in New Zealand plants. It reaches 13 metres (40 feet) in height with a trunk up to 70 cm (28 in) in diameter. Its range mainly covers the North, South, and Stewart Islands, but can be found as far south as the Auckland Islands. It inhabits lowland to montane ecosystems, and is especially common near streams and forest margins. F. excorticata is noted for its bark, which naturally peels off into thin sheets of paper. Its scientific name, excorticata, reflects this distinctive property.
Fuchsia excorticata was first described by the German naturalists Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster in 1775. F.
Fuchsia excorticata's fruits are dispersed by fruit-eating animals (frugivores). F. excorticata's fruits are an important food source for numerous New Zealand native birds, and they are an especially important food source for the kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae). Other birds, such as the tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) and the New Zealand bellbird (Anthornis melanura) consume the fruits frequently. Beveridge (1964) estimated that a single dropping from an introduced blackbird (Turdus merula) produced 178 seedlings, thus proving the efficiency of blackbirds as seed distributors. The fruits of F. excorticata can also be part of the diet of the flightless kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus). German-born New Zealand explorer Julius von Haast said that he saw a kākāpō "sitting on a Fuchsia-tree, 10 feet from the ground, and eating berries".
Bolivian fuchsia · Fuchsia canescens · Fuchsia glazioviana · Hatschbach's Fuchsia · Hardy fuchsia · Small Leaf Fuchsia · Honeysuckle Fuchsia · Volcan's fuchsia · Lady's eardrops genus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Fuchsia excorticata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
