On Jun 8, 2004, at 9:17 PM, Blee811@aol.com wrote: In a message dated 6/8/2004 11:46:37 PM Eastern Standard Time, > jimmckenney@starpower.net writes: > >> Was Jane McGary pulling our legs when she said that the x used with >> these >> names is the multiplication sign rather than the letter x? Is there a >> difference? > > Jane is not pulling any legs on this. It is especially noticed when > cited in > text that is set in a serif font (letters that have the little > tails/hooks on > them) rather than a sans serif font like this. In the serif font, the > Notho x > does not have serifs. > Bill Lee > I think that even though it is a multiplication sign that is supposed to be used for hybrids, since the X is much easier to access in most fonts (and some fonts don't even have a multiplication sign), it is what is commonly used by most people when typing. (However, a common font that contains the multiplication sign that probably everyone has access to is the Symbol font.) It makes more sense (that it is a multiplication sign) once you learn, as I did just a few days ago, that if a hybrid is produced by pollinating two different species (of the same or of different genera) then the multiplication sign is supposed to be used. However, if the hybrid is created by grafting two different species together (something I'd never heard of before that is called a 'graft hybrid'), then you are supposed to use the plus sign between the two species, and if they are of two different genera and you create a new intergeneric hybrid name for this, then you put a plus sign in front of the name rather than a multiplication sign. The example I read about (from googling 'graft hybrid') is Laburnum anagyroides + Cytisus purpurea which produces +Laburnocytisus 'Adamii'. (<http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jfb/chimera/> gives this and a few other examples.) (Also, <http://www.habitas.org.uk/gardenflora/taxa.htm> has a fairly concise description of the basic rules for scientific names of plants.) --Lee Poulsen Pasadena area, California, USDA Zone 9-10