The French Minim monk and botanist, Charles Plumier discovered the first Fuchsia on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) about 1696–1697. He named the plant after the renowned German botanist Leonhart Fuchs (1501–1566). There are over one hundred species of Fuchsia recorded. Most are native to South America, but a few occur north through Central America to Mexico, and several from New Zealand to Tahiti. The hummingbird suckling on the fuchsia blossom in this digital composite is known as a fiery throated hummingbird, which breeds only in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama.