I sent off Sparaxis that looked like the one in the photo and was told it was virused. At the same time I sent another one that was a solid yellow color and was told it was virused as well. I never got a report or for that matter a bill, but someone from the lab spoke to me on the phone and gave me a verbal report. Both clumps seemed to grow quite well in spite of being virused. It made me wonder if most of the Sparaxis that are offered in garden centers could be virused without anyone being aware this was so. I have since then seen Sparaxis in gardens with the break in the color pattern. At the same time I sent those in for testing I sent in something that looked suspicious to me and it was fine. It left me feeling that it may be challenging to tell by looking what is virused. We have often been told on this list that there are some plants that grow with virus but the problem is that the virus from them may spread (by insects or tools) to other plants and they may not do as well. I agree with John that nature's hybridization of Sparaxis can produce some stunning flowers. We once saw a field of them that Terry Hatch in New Zealand was growing letting the bees do the work. It was the days before digital cameras and we ended up taking loads of photos in spite of using all that film. Mary Sue