Pistil said:The only thing I am not sure about is if it is proper to leave a space after the x or not, I have seen it both ways. Do you know?
Yes, I do. Or rather, the
International Code of Botanical Nomencature (ICBN) does. This will keep you busy for quite some time.
See appendix H.3.
The Code basically says that using the multiplication sign (×) is preferred, but x (the letter) is acceptable. It is supposed to be placed immediately (without a space) before the taxon name (the genus name, species epithet, etc.) -
always in lower case if it is the letter x. By the way, this is pronounced "cross" and not "x"(eks). This is so it is never confused with the Latin word "ex" (pronounced "eks"), which has an altogether different botanical meaning.
The exception is when an immediately preceding "x" will cause confusion, and one might think that the "x" is part of the taxon name rather than a hybrid designation. Example: "xanthocrene" should be "x anthrocrene". This problem could only happen if you use x and not ×, of course.
And of course, using the cross symbol to connect two names, as in this manner, then there is a space - before and after:
Acer rubrum ×
Acer saccharinum
Which is just another way of saying Acer ×freemanii
(names of genus and lower ranks are supposed to be italicized, but it's understood if you don't.)
And just until a few years ago, the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) was only available if you bought the manuscript at $60-100. But it's on line now, too.
