Deppea splendens
Family: Rubiaceae, Coffee Family (25 species)
Common Name(s): Golden Fuchsia, Cristobal
Grown by: David Feix, Berkeley
deppea - name of a botanist
splendens - splendid
This is a fall to winter bloomer with pendant golden flowers resembling fuchsias only to the most casual eye. This is another woody cloud forest gem, 15 to 25 feet, from Chiapas introduced 22 years ago by Dr. Dennis Breedlove, our own botanical Indiana Jones, who believes this plant may be extinct in nature as a result of habitat loss.
Chiapas, the southern most state of Mexico, is roughly 100 miles on a side and has every habitat from jungle to desert to mountain top with over 8800 taxa collected--an incredibly rich botanical legacy.
Dr. Breedlove has mentioned that perhaps a fourth of these may be extinct or nearly so due to habitat loss. Every lovely plant like Deppea splendens which we can grow in our gardens at least keeps them with us. Who knows what pharmaceutical surprises await discovery from such plants.
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