Additional information about BCRV with pictures. "A survey of several isolates collected from blackberry and rose across the United States revealed minimal diversity between isolates, although the New World population of the virus is very different from the only European isolate sequenced (87). The virus is widespread in the eastern part of the United States, especially among wild roses where the vast majority of the samples tested were infected with the virus. Given that there are several reports of thrips and bees transmitting ilarviruses as a function of moving pollen from infected to healthy plants (11,105), the wild rose population may be a significant reservoir of the virus. As seed is another means of transmission of ilarviruses, several hundred seeds from rose, blackberry, and herbaceous plants were tested, and the virus was found to be transmitted at high rates (87). The virus was found to be the second most widespread virus in BYVD-affected plants and has been identified in Arkansas, Florida, North and South Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Oregon (I. E. Tzanetakis, S.W. Scott, B. Poudel, unpublished). Title: "Viruses and Virus Diseases of Rubus" Authors: "Robert R. Martin (1), Stuart MacFarlane (2), Sead Sabanadzovic(3), Diego Quito(4), Bindu Poudel(5), and Ioannis E. Tzanetakis(5)" Authors affiliation: (1) USDA-ARS Norticultural Crops Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR. (2) The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, Scotland. (3) Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State. (4) Centro de Investgaciones Biotecnologicas del Ecuador, Guayaquil. (5) Department of Plant Pathology, Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Published in: Plant Disease, volumn 97, pages 168-182, ( 2013). Here is a link that might be useful: link to full paper with above quote

So, just to review what was already said: x denotes a cross. When used in front of a genus name it indicates that the genus is a hybrid (or intergeneric) genus derived by crossing plants of two different genuses (actually "genera" is the plural of genus, but most people don't know this). When two genera are crossed, a new genus is created, using parts of the names of both parent genera. In gesneriads we have, for example, "x codonatanthus" for hybrids of codonanthe and nematanthus, or "x achimenantha" for hybrids of achimenes and smithiantha. In orchids intergeneric hybrids are often fertile and have been bred with more than two genera such that hybrid genus names have gotten ridiculous. Rather than combine three, four, five or more genera into one looong name they have a system where such new multi-generic hybrid genus names end in the letters "ara". The first one of these was Potinara (Cattleya x Laelia x Sophronitis x brassivola). Now there are hundreds of such combinations. By the way, clone names (i.e. "cultivars") are always shown with single quotes and are capitalized--i.e. Cantua 'Hot Pants'. Also, in writing cross names one should put the female parent first (though this is not necessary). So Sinningia leucotricha x canescens would indicate that leucotricha was the seed parent and canescens was the pollen parent. About capitalizing the "X" in front of genus names--I never knew that. I will have to check with my botanist friend who knows even more silly rules about plant names than I do (by far).

Julie, sometimes you just crack me up. And maybe I'll work harder on my mumbo jumbo skills(!) Of course, hybrid seed in the vegetable world abound. And I'm sure you've heard of tasseling corn(or is it detasseling): where a field of corn is tasseled to remove that source of pollen. That way the corn is pollenated from nearby untasseled fields of a different variety. The resultant seed in field #1 is hybrid seed of known parentage. In a case like this, if the botanical mame was on the package at all, Zea mays 'X' x Zea mays 'Y' would be most informative. However, simply Zea mays would be correct, as no crossing between two different species was involved, only crossing within the same species. If Echinacea 'Kim's Mop Head' seed(or the like) are purchasable, than I would expect that wanted traits come true through sexual generation(i.e. seeds) of know parentage. This is not to say each seedling is exactly the same plant. When ever genes are mixed, there are infinite possibilities. But in a case like this, the genes that govern the outward appearance we see as Kim's Mop Head are stable in their outcome. Since Meadow Bright seed is not available, I would expect that sexual generation does not produce like reproductions. Therefore, to increase plant numbers, asexual means are the only option. So yes, Julie, you've got it right. It just all depends on the individual plant. Rick P.S. Did I do what you said I should do when you asked I should do it? (I'm trying to learn from the master.)

When I first got an e-mail account I wanted my name to be part of a rose, since I'm a major rose nut. The only rosy word I could find was petaloid, which is a partially formed petal often found in the center of a rose bloom. I used the same name here on GW. Minnie, a rose hybridizer has a secretary named Gladys and he named a rose variety he bred after her, "Happy Butt" -- you should get one! I'll put a link below: Here is a link that might be useful: rose named Happy Butt