How2Day: Bolivia's Flowering Bushes

Straddling the central Andes Mountains of South America, Bolivia is a geographically dynamic country, encompassing lowlands, plains and a large portion of the Amazonian rainforest. Due to its great geographic diversity, Bolivia is home to an large variety of native plants, including several species of native flowering shrubs. Hardy and beautiful, the native flowering shrubs of Bolivia often appear as ornamentals in gardens around the world.

Adapted to thrive in cool, humid climates, Bolivian fuchsia (Fuchsia boliviana) is a large evergreen shrub common throughout Bolivia and southern Peru. It reaches 6 feet in height and bears large, glossy-green leaves with pronounced veining. In late summer and early autumn, Bolivian fuchsia produces pendulous flower stalks with 8-inch-long, reddish-pink flowers. Widely grown as an ornamental, it can survive in areas without heavy winter frost, according to Michael H. Nee, author of "Flora in Amboro National Park, Bolivia."

Native to Bolivia and Peru, hardy gloxinia (Gloxinia sylvatica) is a small shrub commonly grown in gardens. Known for its silver-green foliage, hardy gloxinia bears a profusion of tubular, bright-red flowers with a yellow speckled throat. It spreads readily via underground rhizomes, creating a 2-foot-tall mat of dense foliage. As a garden plant, hardy gloxinia provides ample autumn and winter color to otherwise drab beds.

Red angel's trumpet (Brugmansia sanguinea) occurs throughout the Andes Mountain range, including highland Bolivia. It is a woody, medium-sized shrub growing to between 10 and 15 feet in height with large, slightly crimped leaves. Throughout the growing season, red angel's trumpet bears an abundance of pendulous, trumpet-shaped flowers that are yellow at the base with a reddish-orange opening. Although highly ornamental and widely grown, red angel's trumpet is toxic to humans if ingested.

Named one of the national flowers of Bolivia, cantuta (Cantua buxifolia) is a large flowering shrub known for its trumpet-shaped, pink and orange flowers. It grows to 6 feet in height with an 8-foot spread, presenting a hedge-like growth habit under ideal circumstances. Within its native range, cantuta occurs widely in the yungas forests of the Andean highlands, where it blooms in late spring and early summer, according to Otto Buchtien, author of "The Flora of Bolivia."

Salvia morada (Salvia gilliesii) exists in high-altitude areas of Bolivia, seldom above 10,000 feet above sea level. It is a perennial shrub seldom exceeding 10 feet in height, with an upright, airy growth habit. Known for its small, silvery-green leaves, salvia morada bears a profusion of small, dark-violet flowers with subtle white speckles. Although not often seen outside its native range, it is growing in popularity as a landscape shrub in North America.

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