Desfontainia fulgens D. Don

Desfontainia fulgens was first introduced to cultivation in 1843 by William Lobb, who along with many other plant explorers was employed by the pioneering horticultural firm James Veitch & Sons (Veitch 1906). It first flowered in cultivation in 1853 (Gardner, Hechenleitner & Hepp 2015) when it must have caused quite a sensation with its unusual conical waxy flowers, the like of which would not have been seen before in temperate garden plants. Harold Comber also introduced it in 1927 from Chile, and more recently further introductions have been made from many locations throughout southern Chile as a result of extensive field work carried out by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from 1991 to 2023. Today RBG Edinburgh cultivates Desfontainia fulgens under eleven accessions but importantly eight of these are of known wild origin (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 2023).

It is frequently cultivated in the UK and Ireland, but the most favourable conditions are to be found along the western seaboard, especially on the west coast of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and in many Irish gardens where relatively cool conditions prevail with high levels of rainfall. Good specimens can be found in many gardens but perhaps the most notable is at Rowallane Garden, Co. Down. This remarkable plant, which was recorded as being 3 m tall and 10 m across (Bean 1988) is sadly now much reduced in stature (see image). In 2016 a large branch of Nothofagus dombeyi unceremoniously fell across it; somewhat ironically that a common associate species in the wild should have been the culprit in the partial demise of this fine specimen. Claire McNally, Head Gardner at Rowallane Garden has reported that although a large proportion of the older, central growth was damaged and had to be removed, it has responded well to pruning with new shoots growing from the branches that were flattened. What remains today, are several discontinuous sections, with the tallest section rising to 3.35 m tall and about the same in circumference but the other sections are generally around 2 m tall. There is one continuous section which is 9.8 m long but not even a metre wide and after that the biggest section is about 5 m long but similarly narrow. Claire says “It is still a fabulous plant but less impressive than it was when Bean visited the garden!”

There are good examples of it flourishing in an exposed position in the South American beds of the rock garden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. However, in very cold locations it is best afforded winter protection in woodland conditions. It is less common in Europe where it is best suited to the wetter regions of northern countries. It is sometimes cultivated in New Zealand and occasionally in the wetter climates of Western North America. It rarely sets seed in cultivation and this may be in part due to nectar-robbing bees accessing the nectar by biting through the tissue wall at the base of the corolla tube and therefore circumventing the usual pollination process.

The range of flower shapes can vary from very broad to quite narrow and many colour variants concerning the amount of yellow in proportion to scarlet or vermillon has surprisingly not given rise to more cultivars being named. Note that in many individuals as the flowers mature the entire corolla-tube gradually changes to vermilion or dark red and therefore it loses the distinct yellow lobes (pers. obs.) Two are treated here (see below).

When available, seed should be autumn-sown in a moist compost, or even within a layer of sphagnum moss and protected from cold weather. Propagation records from RBG Edinburgh show that seed collected from Chile in late summer take 3–4 months to germinate but with germination rates of less than 30%, which is probably due to high levels of seed being predated in Chile (pers. com. P. Brownless). The best and most reliable propagation method is to take semi-ripe cuttings from July to August (UK) placed in a well-drained medium with gentle bottom heat; these will take 6–8 weeks to root. Thankfully, Desfontainia seems to be generally pest and disease free.

Carlos Mariani (Bello 1965) reports that Desfontainia fulgens is used as narcotic and stomachic and is utilized by the the indigenous Mapauche people of Chile. He also makes reference to the leaves that are as bitter as gentian and that the local Mapuche use them as a source of yellow dye in their textiles. The local vernacular name ‘taique’ means shiny in reference to the glossy leaves; ‘chapico’ means ‘chilli water’, alluding to the plant’s hot and bitter tasting leaves (Baeza 1930).