A common misconception among gardeners is that the botanists legislate name changes. While a few economically important genera are legislated in the ICBN to prevent changes due to priority considerations, all other names published in the botanical literature are _suggestions_. Their validity is determined in the long run by consensus, and many proposed names have fallen by the wayside over the years. It's more tragic than a tear-jerker romance: all those lovely names expiring from lack of love! The poor dears are, however, still valid names for the most part, having been properly published. "Properly published" is just that and doesn't mean correct. The phrase means simply that it included a description (formerly had to be in Latin, but hasn't that requirement been dropped?) and the identity of the type specimen. It's a bureaucratic term, in other words, and had nothing to do with correctness or any other moral virtue. What this means in practice is that gardeners who label their plants don't have to re-do labels as soon as a name change is published. Indeed, I would recommend taking your time and waiting until the botanists accept or reject the proposal by consensus. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Z. 7-8, cool Mediterranean climate