Deppea splendens
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| Golden fuchsia | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Deppea |
| Species: | D. splendens |
| Binomial name | |
| Deppea splendens | |
| Deppea splendens was endemic to Chiapas, Mexico[3] | |
| Synonyms[4] | |
| |
Deppea splendens, commonly known as the golden fuchsia,[5][6] is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae endemic to Chiapas, Mexico.[3] It is extinct in the wild.[1][3] Despite its common name, it is not related to the true Fuchsia genus.[7]
Description
[edit]Vegetative characteristics
[edit]Deppea splendens is an evergreen,[8] 5–8 m (16–26 ft) tall shrub or tree with glabrous twigs.[9] The petiolate,[2] stipulate,[10] elliptic to ovate-elliptic leaves with an acuminate apex are 4.5–15 cm long, and 0.8-6 cm wide.[2] The petiole is 0.8–3.8 cm long. Leaves are arranged in whorls of three, or occasionally opposite.[10]
Generative characteristics
[edit]The terminal,[9] pendulous, brightly coloured inflorescences[11] bear 16–25[9] pendulous, tubular,[6] tetramerous,[7] ornithophilous[9] 5–[12][7]6 cm long flowers[13] with a red calyx and yellow-orange petals.[6] The tricolporate pollen grains are 21.9–25.7 μm big.[14] The compressed, ellipsoid, 6–8 mm long, and 5–7 mm wide loculicidal capsule fruit bears dark brown, 0.6–1 mm long seeds.[15]
Taxonomy
[edit]It was described by Dennis Eugene Breedlove and David H. Lorence in 1987.[2] Within the subfamily Dialypetalanthoideae it is placed in the tribe Hamelieae.[16]
Etymology
[edit]The specific epithet splendens means shining or brilliant.[17]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]It was once native to high elevation cloud forest in the state Chiapas, Mexico, but has been presumed extinct in the wild since its habitat was cleared for farmland. It is now found only in horticulture, although efforts have been made to reintroduce it in Mexico.[18][1]
History
[edit]Dennis Breedlove was a botanist at the California Academy of Science researching plants and ethnobotany in Chiapas when he discovered it in 1972 in the Motozintla de Mendoza municipality; he sent seeds of the then undescribed shrub to San Francisco in 1981 (he described it formally in 1987). That seed was grown at the University of California Botanical Garden, and the Huntington [19]. All plants in existence are from that introduction. It is now widely grown, including in the San Francisco Conservatory of flowers, The San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, and at the Huntington in Southern California.[18]
Conservation
[edit]The only known population was destroyed for farmland.[20][21] It only persists in ex-situ collections[21] in botanic gardens and private collections.[22]
Ecology
[edit]The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds.[9][20][7] It was found in mixed cloud forest with deciduous and evergreen vegetation, and was abundant along a stream. [2]
Cultivation
[edit]It can be easily cultivated[22] in well-drained, nutrient rich substrate under bright and warm conditions,[20] but does not tolerate consistently hot and humid climates.[22] Deppea splendens is self-incompatible,[13][12] but it can also be propagated vegetatively.[13] At least three clones have been named: ‘Augustin’, ‘Bartolome’, and ‘Cristobal’ [19].
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Fuentes, A.C.D.; Martínez Salas, E.; Samain, M.-S. (2020). "Deppea splendens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T126612397A126613386. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T126612397A126613386.en.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Breedlove, Dennis E., & Lorence, David H. (1987). New species of Deppea (Rubiaceae) from Chiapas, Mexico. Phytologia, 63, 43--47. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/96753
- 1 2 3 "Deppea splendens Breedlove & Lorence". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ↑ Deppea splendens Breedlove & Lorence. (n.d.). Catalogue of Life. Retrieved August 24, 2025, from https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/6CLSJ
- ↑ Holmes, B. "Deppea splendens Breedlove & Lorence (1987:43) | Golden fuschia [sic]". The Recently Extinct Plants and Animals Database. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Golden Fuchsia (Deppea splendens)". Gardens by the Bay. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Fischer, B. (2013, November). Pflanze des Monats November: Falsche Fuchsie (Csapodya splendens). Bern; Botanischer Garten der Universität Bern.
- ↑ Jenkins, R. (n.d.). Curator's Corner – Deppea splendens. Gardens of Golden Gate Park. Retrieved August 21, 2025, from https://gggp.org/curators-corner-deppea-splendens/
- 1 2 3 4 5 Borhidi, A.; Darók, J.; Kocsis, M.; Stranczinger, Sz.; Kaposvári, F. (2004). "Critical revision of the Deppea complex (Rubiaceae, Hamelieae)". Acta Botanica Hungarica. 46 (1–2): 77–89. doi:10.1556/ABot.46.2004.1-2.7.
- 1 2 Borhidi, A., & Reyes-García, A. (2007). Estudios sobre rubiáceas mexicanas XI Revisión del género Csapodya Borhidi (Rondeletieae), endémica de Chiapas con tres especies. Acta Botanica Hungarica, 49(1-2), 000-000.
- ↑ Candeias, M. (2018, December 11). The Golden Fuchsia: A Case Study in Why Living Collections Matter. In Defense of Plants. Retrieved August 14, 2025, from https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/tag/Deppea+splendens
- 1 2 Schirarend, C. (n.d.). Goldene Fuchsie Deppea splendens. Hamburg; Gesellschaft der Freunde des Botanischen Gartens Hamburg.
- 1 2 3 Bucher, R. (2014, June 23). Deppea splendens. Pflanzen-Portraits. Retrieved August 21, 2025, from http://www.pflanzen-portraits.de/?q=node/1
- ↑ Stebler, T. (n.d.). Csapodya splendens. Pollen-Wiki. Retrieved August 22, 2025, from https://pollen.tstebler.ch/MediaWiki/index.php?title=Csapodya_splendens
- ↑ Lorence, D. H., & Dwyer, J. D. (1988). A REVISION OF DEPPEA (RUBIACEAE). Allertonia, 4(7), 389–436. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23188172
- ↑ USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=452681. Accessed 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Haynes, J. (n.d.). Etymological Compendium of Cycad Names. The Cycad Society.
- 1 2 Reynolds, Charles (2018). "Grow plants that are extinct in the wild". The Ledger.
- 1 2 Musial, K. (2024, May 10). Pacific Plant Promotions: Deppea splendens. Pacific Horticulture. Retrieved August 20, 2025, from https://pacifichorticulture.org/articles/ideppea-splendensi/
- 1 2 3 Bourell, M. "Deppea splendens". San Francisco Botanical Garden. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Deppea splendens". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 Margelony, R. T. (n.d.). Tales of the Faux Fuchsias. The Fuchsietum. Retrieved August 22, 2025, from https://fuchsietum.com/about-fuchsias/faux-fuchsias/faux-fuchsias.html