协会定位与成立背景
美国倒挂金钟协会（American Fuchsia Society，简称 AFS）成立于 1929 年，发起地在美国加利福尼亚州伯克利市，主要分支大多集中在旧金山湾区，分布范围从加州的圣何塞一直延伸到俄勒冈州的塞勒姆。协会会员遍布全球，是目前倒挂金钟属（Fuchsia）领域历史最久、规模最大的爱好者自治组织之一。
协会的宗旨是向花卉爱好者介绍倒挂金钟的栽培乐趣，分享让植株健壮、花期繁茂的种植技术。这些工作主要依靠各地分支俱乐部、年度季刊以及公开活动来推进。分支俱乐部通常每月举行一次例会，会上安排与栽培相关的讲座，并欢迎访客前来交流，营造一种轻松的园艺社交氛围。
章程宗旨与组织架构
协会章程明确规定其作为教育性非营利组织的定位，主要承担四方面职责：一是作为倒挂金钟属的国际登录权威机构（International Registration Authority），负责整理并核定属内品种的标准命名；二是组织并资助各类与倒挂金钟栽培相关的教育性会议与活动；三是向园艺研究机构提供协助，支援其开展以倒挂金钟为对象的科学研究；四是维护季刊（Bulletin）的定期出版，刊载与品种、栽培、历史文化相关的文章。
在组织结构上，协会由董事会（Board of Directors）统筹，日常工作通过分支俱乐部网络展开。各地分支自行安排月度活动，并设有公开的「顾问」（Consultant）体系，为本地区的新手提供就近的问询与现场指导。协会在加利福尼亚州作为非营利实体注册，会址与档案保管均设在美国境内。
品种登录与国际权威地位
美国倒挂金钟协会的品种登录服务（American Fuchsia Registration Service）始办于 1954 年，目的是减少当时市面上重复的栽培品种名称。1967 年，国际园艺科学学会（International Society for Horticultural Science）正式委任美国倒挂金钟协会为倒挂金钟属栽培品种的国际登录权威（International Registration Authority for Fuchsia Cultivars），这一身份延续至今。
目前新栽培品种的国际登录由美国倒挂金钟协会与荷兰倒挂金钟协会（Nederlandse Kring van Fuchsiavrienden，简称 NKvF）合作完成。协会鼓励全球范围内的杂交育种者把新品种送到该体系登记，但同时要求新名称在发布前必须充分测试与评估，并完成与既有品种名的查重工作，避免重名进入流通环节。这一套国际登记机制是世界倒挂金钟属保持命名规范的关键基础。
栽培指南、奖项与公开资源
协会的「倒挂金钟基础栽培」（Basic Fuchsia Culture）板块集中维护了面向新手的实用资料，覆盖扦插繁殖、施肥要点、浇水与排水、常见害虫与病害（如蚜虫、瘿螨、锈病与灰霉病）以及基础修剪等主题。配套的「初学者文化手册」（Basic Culture Sheet）与「AFS For Beginners」系列文章按季度更新。
协会设有公开的奖项体系，主要包括 Peter Baye Award、Ed Salome Award 与 Elsie Syndnor Award 等多年颁发的表彰项目，奖励在栽培、育种、志愿服务等领域有突出贡献的个人。协会还运营着一个大型的线上花图库（Gallery），累积收录了约三百张品种与栽培实拍图，供爱好者辨认品种与学习整形方式。此外，协会网站提供「顾问」花名册，注册用户可按地区查找附近的咨询顾问。
季刊、历史与公开信息渠道
协会自创办以来持续出版《AFS Bulletin》季刊，按年度发布四期内容，文章涵盖品种介绍、栽培技术、协会动态与历史回顾。现任季刊与近几年的往期目录均在站点上公开可查，最新一期涵盖 2026 年 1 至 3 月内容，更早的往期刊可追溯到 2023 年 7 月。董事会会议记录与会议日期（2025 年起改为线上视频会议）按年度公示。
在历史档案方面，协会维护一个独立的「历史信息」（Historical Information）板块，主题包括 90 周年纪念、协会历史年表（AFS History Timeline）、创始人轶事、The Horace Tiret Story、成就奖历史以及《倒挂金钟属简史》（The History of the Genus）等长文。除自有资源外，协会还在「友情链接」（Links）板块列出了英国倒挂金钟协会、西北倒挂金钟协会、西雅图倒挂金钟协会等姊妹组织，方便访问者跳转查阅。
Association Profile and Founding Background
The American Fuchsia Society (AFS) is a U.S.-based, member-run society for fuchsia enthusiasts, founded in 1929 in Berkeley, California. The society grew out of the San Francisco Bay Area, where most of its early branches were established, and its membership now extends across the country and around the world, with affiliated branches from San Jose, California, up the coast to Salem, Oregon.
Its mission is to acquaint flower enthusiasts with the beauty of fuchsias and with the techniques needed to grow healthy, blooming plants. The society pursues that mission through a network of local branches that hold monthly meetings with guest speakers, through a quarterly Bulletin of articles on culture, history, and varieties, and through an open visitor policy that encourages newcomers to drop in and learn from more experienced growers.
By-Laws Purpose and Organizational Structure
Under its by-laws the society exists for educational purposes. These purposes include: fostering and registering the correct nomenclature for the genus Fuchsia in its capacity as the appointed International Registration Authority; conducting and sponsoring educational meetings on every aspect of fuchsia culture; offering assistance to horticultural institutions for research and for the supply of fuchsia plants; and publishing a quarterly Bulletin with varied and informative articles.
The society is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Day-to-day work is carried out through a network of local branches and clubs, each of which organizes its own monthly meetings. The society also maintains a publicly searchable Consultant directory so that members and visitors can find an experienced grower in their own region. AFS is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of California.
Variety Registration and International Authority Status
The American Fuchsia Registration Service was established in 1954 to reduce the confusion caused by duplicate cultivar names circulating in the trade. In 1967 the International Society for Horticultural Science formally appointed the American Fuchsia Society as the International Registration Authority for Fuchsia Cultivars, a position the society continues to hold.
New cultivar registration is handled as a collaboration between AFS and the Dutch Fuchsia Society, the Nederlandse Kring van Fuchsiavrienden (NKvF). Hybridizers worldwide are encouraged to register new cultivars, but each new name must be thoroughly tested and evaluated before submission, and a careful search of existing names is required to prevent duplicates from entering the register. The downloadable registration form is hosted on the AFS site, and the data are entered online at the NKvF portal before being forwarded to the NKvF Registrar.
Culture, Awards, and Public Resources
The society’s Basic Fuchsia Culture section is the main public reference, covering cuttings, fertilizing, watering, pest and disease management (including aphids, fuchsia gall mite, rust, and botrytis), pruning, and miscellaneous cultural questions. A printable Basic Culture Sheet and a beginner-oriented AFS For Beginners series are kept current alongside longer articles on heat stress, hardwood cuttings, and other specialized topics.
AFS administers several long-standing awards, including the Peter Baye Award, the Ed Salome Award, and the Elsie Syndnor Award, which recognize members for contributions to cultivation, hybridizing, and service to the society. The online Gallery holds a few hundred photographs of cultivars and growing examples. The Consultant page lists experienced growers by region, and the Links page points readers to sister organizations such as the British Fuchsia Society, the Northwest Fuchsia Society, the Oregon Fuchsia Society, the Greater Seattle Fuchsia Society, and the Sno-King Fuchsia Society.
Bulletin, History, and Public Information
AFS has published a quarterly Bulletin since its early years. The current Bulletin is available on the website, and back issues are archived going back to mid-2023 at least, with the most recent visible issue covering January to March 2026. Board meeting minutes and meeting dates (held by Zoom since 2024) are posted in the Board Meetings section so that members can follow the society’s governance.
A separate Historical Information section gathers long-form material on the society’s past, including a 90th Anniversary feature, the AFS History Timeline, the Horace Tiret story, AFS History of Achievement Award, and a History of the Genus Fuchsia. Together with the current Bulletin, the gallery, and the links to other fuchsia societies, these pages form the main public information channels through which AFS shares its work with the wider fuchsia-growing community.
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