Genii/Genni/Jeanie/Jeane/Jean
One of the best known hardy cultivars is Genii, a fast growing, almost indestructible golden foliaged red and purple magellanica type. It has been around for what seems like forever and widely available. Except it doesn’t exist! At least by this name. There is no evidence of anyone ever introducing this cultivar, despite most reference books stating that it is by Victor Reiter Jnr, 1951.
It is worth delving a little deeper into the mystery.
Then onto Jean. Firstly, Victor Reiter Jnr refuted that it was his introduction.(1) He did register a cultivar called Jean in 1953(2) However this was on behalf of Ted Paskesen and the description is a single with white tube and sepals and a deep rose corolla. There is a picture purporting to be of Jean on Fuchsia Finder(3) . Clearly not the same cultivar. Other sources state that this was named after Victor Reiter’s wife – although her name was Clara! There is a 1975 article in the BFS Annual by Norman Greenhill(4) detailing his trip to San Francisco and meeting Ted Paskesen and his fuchsias. Apparently Ted was so impressed by one of his own raisings that he named it after his wife – Jean. So, problem solved. Except that it was described as a single orange cultivar!
Tom Thorne(5) in 1959 states that Jean and Genii are identical. However, he calls Jean ‘Jeane’, and Genii ‘Geneii’, so rather suspect. He dodges the raiser’s name by stating (American) and a date of introduction of 1951. His description is as for Genii. It is the first mention I can find of the name Genii. Then, in the BFS Annual of 1959(6) Tom Thorne contradicts himself by stating that Genii is actually Jeanne and raised by Raffill at Kew. Except that there is no evidence that support this claim.
So where does this leave us, other than completely confused?
Enter a third cultivar; Golden Gate, a 1940 introduction by Gus Niederholzer, with a description very similar to Genii. The American Fuchsia Society’s ‘The Fuchsia Book’ of 1945(7) describes Golden Gate as [Niederholzer 1940, introduced in 1945]; compact grower with dense, bright golden yellow foliage, suitable for hedge; should be grown in full sun; flowers small, single, brilliant red and purple. The same description can be found in A to Z on Fuchsias 1951(8) with a similar description. Interestingly neither mention either Genii or Jean.
The earliest catalogue record of Genii this side of the pond is in 1967(9) with raiser as [Reiter 1951] and a description identical to Golden Gate. As late as 1973 a US nursery(10) listed Golden Gate with the Red/Purple/golden yellow foliage. And if you Google Golden Gate today you will find that American nurseries list Genii with the traditional red/purple and golden foliage.
And finally Genni. This is registered with the AFS(11) and attributed to Fuchsia-La in 1968, description; trailer, single, tube and sepals Red, corolla White. It was available from Fuchsiarama(12)) [1968] and Antonelli Bros(13) [2004]. Again, not the same cultivar.
I have liaised with Eddy de Boever – FuchsiaFinder – and our best guess is that back in time a nurseryman in America mixed up labels for Jean and Golden Gate, the cultivar found its way across to the continent, at which time the sound of the name got corrupted from Jean to Jeane to Jeannie to Genii.
It’s a best guess. I suspect that we may never find out the truth but I believe that Genii is Golden Gate raised about 1940 by Gus Niederholzer.
As a footnote, Eddy and I try and ensure that we can verify everything we publish. Hence this article. Originating material, old catalogues, breeders notes and records, even reminiscences, are all invaluable material to help us researchers validate and update our records, and in so doing add to the body of knowledge of fuchsias. If you have any such material that either Eddy or I can borrow, have sight of, or have photograph copies made of, then it makes our job (passion) so much more worthwhile.
Bibliography
(1) Leo Boullemier, The Checklist of Species, Hybrids and Cultivars of the Genus Fuchsia 1984, P162
(2) American Fuchsia Society International Register 1953
(3) www.fuchsiafinder. com
(4) British Fuchsia Society annual 1975 P41
(5) Tom Thorne, Fuchsias for all Purposes, 1959, P116
(6) British Fuchsia Society Annual 1959 P22
(7) The Fuchsia Book 1945 P66
(8) A to Z on fuchsias 1951 P90
(9) Vicarage Farm Nurseries 1967
(10) Westover Greenhouses 1973
(11) American Fuchsia Society International Register 1968
(12) Fuchsiarama 1968
(13) Antonelli Brothers 2004
Article written by John Palmer
Please send remarks to fuchsiafinder@gmail.com
V1.0
4th August 2023