If he does register, perhaps he will be able to have some rights on its reproduction. Theoretically, the register should not include duplicates of what was already registered. But, unless a costly genetical analysis is made, this is impossible. Over 12.000 Fuchsia cultivars and hybrids have been registered.

As fuchsias are easily reproduced by soft wood cuttings, the commercial producer of a new cultivar perhaps will only be interested in a quick and massive marketing campaign, abandoning it when sales begin to drop.

Consequently, some commercial hybridizers often do not bother to check if their hybrids or cultivars were already registered, respecting the rights acquired by another hybridizer. They just give a new name and begin selling. Another important source for duplicates is here.

Many cultivars, though not equal, are very muck alike. Hence identification has become a difficult art. Experts often cannot distinguish some hybrids or are mistaken when identifying them.

In the United Kingdom there are currently, on the market, about 4,000 hybrids, plus almost all species. You have only to order... and pay. Other being only in the hands of private collectors have to be added. Besides, in U.S.A., Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany and France, among other countries, have produced or are producing hybrids. The Spanish market is particularly poor in this sense. I only have been able to get seven here. I have bought all other in the United Kingdom.

Almost all books on fuchsias have been generated in the United Kingdom and cannot be found in the usual  circuits of the Spanish market. An option is its purchase through an Internet based company, although I prefer to see before buying.

Given the difficulties in my environment I have given up trying to learn how to identify them. I am satisfied by admiring them, even if I do not know their name. If I do know it, I make all efforts not to loose the label. And I label all its clones.

Identification

Fuchsias, as other plants, are identified by their names, by a picture or by means of a literary description referring to a certain number of their features.

Colour

For the identification of the colour, the fuchsia experts use a colour chart published in printed form by the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society).

In my humble opinion, this method is better than none and it is the best, as no other method has been standardized.

The results, however, leave much to be desired and cannot be used as the only decisive fact to distinguish one plant from a very similar one. I'd like to mention only four reasons for such inaccuracies or inconveniencies (there are more):

An alternative method is to express the colour with words. Like "pink" or "purple" or "white". This method is good enough for an approximate approach, although it has the inconveniency of being subjective.

A place where colours and their names are defined, not related to fuchsias, is here.

Petals and sepals can be of different colours in fuchsias. The colour of the sepals is given first. So, "red/white" would be referring to a flower with red sepals and white petals.

My Internet friend Wouter Addink (Wouter's Fuchsia Site - The Netherlands) did quite a job on trying to produce an alternative colour chart for the Internet, as the RHS colour chart is not available everywhere, it is expensive and their colours vary from edition to edition. Unfortunately, and for the moment being, Wouter did not continue with the experiments. Perhaps if the future brings some standardization for colours on every PC, Mac or workstation and the user cannot tamper with the controls, Wouter will retake his work which, in my opinion, is very, very difficult.

Measurements

Other important data are the dimensions of the flowers. Dimensions of the sepals and petals. You can also give the length of the tube, stamens and pistil.

For sepals the distance between two ends of sepals diametrically opposed should be measured. For petals their apparent length should be given.

Complete literary description:

Colour and size of the flowers is not enough for a description. The following would be a better abridged description. I propose this description for standardization. My wish, as a fuchsia enthusiast, is that all the below parameters should be of standard and compulsory use in descriptions (except the "optional" which are... optional).

Name:  (of cultivar, hybrid or species)

Similar hybrids: names of hybrids which can be confused with the referred fuchsia, because of their similarity (optional).

Triphylla/Encliandra/Species: yes/no

Flowers:
- Colours: sepals/petals (as "pink/white")
- S/D: Single / Double flowers
- Size: sepals/petals
- Tube length: (optional)
- Stamens-Pistil length: (optional)
- Hanging / Upward looking flowers

Plant:
- U/L/T: Upright/Slightly lax/Trailing
- Can be used for: Standards/Baskets
- Fast/Slow: rate of growth
- Height of the plant
- Temperatures: Hardy/Hot climate
- Deciduous/Evergreen.
- Description of leaves (if interesting)
- Popularity: High/Low
- Awards: yes (optionally which) / no

Origin:
Optionally comments on year of hybridization, who did it and his country; names of parents in the hybridization.
Not optional: If it is a species, country of origin.

Suppliers:
At least a comment on the most likely countries to be found, if no names of particular growers can be given. With the Internet, mentioning the country becomes a necessity.

Other:
Free general comments on topics as susceptibility to white flies, if the plant resents being pinched, particular difficulties on its cultivation, or any other that may be considered of interest.