Dear Geist,

Why does the word fuchsia have so many letters, when gazillions of other words are being pared down to include only letters that are pronounced in the spoken word? And to compound matters, fuchsia always needs to be looked up. Nothing about its spelling is instinctive for any English speaker or writer I have ever met.

—Louise Rea, on the case in Toronto

Dear Louise,

You're spot on about fuchsia being a nuisance. But gosh, isn't it such a wild little flower, posing (ha ha) as a delicate gentle blossom until you get up close and really look? But here's another clue: the fuchsia was named after a German botanist named Leonhard Fuchs. Over to you!

—The Editors