Dear Dennis, Carolyn and Mark; You all seem to think there is some pattern here. The ICNCP, ICBN and ICZN (Rules for plant cultivars, plant species and animal species) all seem to realize that a name is just a name. A series of letters that goes with a type specimen somewhere. Cultivars and species can have any type of name and we all wish it meant something, but it doesn't have to. I have lots of favorite odd names. If you are a Far Side fan as one entomologist is, you would understand the genus name 'Garylarsonus' for a particularly ugly beetle. Likewise the species, Iris brittany-spearsensis (Iris brittanyspearia is more likely) makes perfect sense. Culitvar names can honor a person, but not mean anything like Iris 'Megan Elizabeth' (what color is this ?). Each cultivar group registrar is required to reject improper names and believe me some hybridizers have tried some pretty risque names that make 'Baboon Bottom' seem tame. There is a history of peculiar names (including a few 'ribald' ones) and if you want to see a range of peculiarities check out. http://home.earthlink.net/~misaak/taxonomy.html Mark, I don't have a clue what the 'domesticum' part of E. domesticum was meant to mean in this context. It may have referred to its being native to the country of origin, Java, and possibly aimed at the orchid part of the picture. Lost in time. And I believe the hollandicum is "xhollandicum" to cover one or more similar hybrids ( or complex of hybrids), not just a single species, such as A. aflatuense. This is probably a complex topic worthy of discussion in itself. It is anyone's game when putting a name on a plant and some folks are very creative. Even the staid Linneaus named the Genus Tillandsia (a bromeliad) after a friend of his who avoided water (made long tangents around rivers and lakes if possible). Are you sure there's no plant with the cultivar name of 'Brittany Spears' (maybe an asparagus cv) ? best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +