Dear Friends, The following reply is modified slightly from a 2003 message on this list. It has been discussed often yet misinformation and just plain ignorance abounds. Think about it. Begin I am really shocked that you would believe that variegation in plants is due to virus. Really. Oxford University indexed hundreds of variegated plants and found that over 90% were due to somatic mutations (chimeral mutants) and less than 5 % were not determined or viral. Viral plants are mostly ill and do not grow well or survive for long. Their discoloration is a symptom of sickness; the kinds of streaks and spots that we can find in sick bulbs and plants of all kind. The fact that the good folks at Terra Nova and Collector's "find" variegated plants is because they book look very hard for it and these mutants often show up in tissue culture. Nurseries do not sell viral/sick plants. This information is not new or startling, but has been published over and over again. Variegation is not a sickness. It is a genetic characteristic that often allows some variegated plants to be propagated by seed and always by traditional vegetative propagation. Chimeral variegation does not (never) 'jump' from one plant to another. I hate to see this misinformation passed along so easily without a strong "whoa'! It just ain't so!! Don't mean to jump on anyone, but there is a large body of people who think that variegation equals sickness: NOT SO; virus equals sickness. Best Jim W. End Added: Most plant variegates are periclinal chimeras (Look it up) composed of distinct layers and bands of different tissues. Some of these grow better than others (i.e. often those with more chlorophyll). Depending on the specific nature of the anatomy, green portions can overtake non-green sections and seem to 'grow out' of variegation. Many of these variegates are simply unstable and should not be sold or distributed as stable cvs. Diseases are spread from plant to plant, genetic variegation can not be spread to another plant. Time to think smartly. -- 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 +