Fuchsia Standish’s ‘Colossus’

Horticultural & Botanical History

Standish’s ‘Colossus’ is figured in Paxton's Magazine of Botany with a description of its origin: ‘In 1841 he [John Standish, nurseryman of Bagshot] raised a number of seedlings from Thompson’s formosa elegans, by corymbiflora.  They were very pretty, and free growers; but not particularly different from the hybrids of F. fulgens, except that they seeded abundantly, which those hybrids rarely do.  Having saved some of those seeds without any fertilizing, Mr. Standish was astonished to find, in 1843, that the produce had acquired so much larger leaves and flowers, as to be nearly twice the size.’  ‘Colossus’ was among these seedlings.  [MB p.32/1844].

History at Camden Park

Listed in the 1850 and 1857 catalogues [T.464/1850].  Obtained from Kew Gardens, brought out from England by Captain P. P. King in 1849.  Regarded by Macarthur as new to the colony.  [ML A1980-3].

Notes

Another possibility is Fuchsia ‘Colossus’ (Fowler).

‘This is the largest flower we have seen; it is perfectly smooth and of great substance; it may be regarded as one of the very best of the dark class.’  It presumably had a crimson or deep red tube and sepals and purple corolla.  Advertisement from J. Fowler, Holland Nursery, Brixton, for the seedling Fuchsia ‘Colossus’. [Gard. Chron. 1846].  As Fowler is advertising a seedling he may the breeder but it may also be Standish’s plant that he is offering for sale, not unusual at the time.  Fowler as breeder is given support by an advertisement by William Miller of Ramsgate, who offered a very long list of fuchsias for sale in The Gardeners Chronicle.  Among the 155 plants listed were Fowler’s ‘Colossus’ described as red, and Standish’s plant of the same name, described as very dark [Gard. Chron. 1847].  It is quite possible that they are the same plant obtained by Miller from two sources.