Fuchs was born in Wemding, now in Germany, and was professor of medicine at Tübingen University from 1535 until his death, his main interest being the medicinal properties of plants. He is remembered for his herbal manual De historia stirpium (1542), in which about four hundred native and a hundred foreign plants are arranged alphabetically, with original descriptions of the form, habitat, and best season for collection of each plant. The herbal is notable for its glossary of botanical terms, accurate woodcut illustrations, and detailed descriptions.

A genus of ornamental shrubs, Fuchsia, is named for him.