A few mongths ago my collection was exposed to airborne chemicals. Over time the responses were quite different. The old trade amaryllis, which was probably bred in greenhouses heated by coal, showed no negative response. The hybrids of this plant with other species usually showed little response except in occasional leaf tip dying and bumps on some leaves. This class of hybrids were refined here, and have had plenty of chemical practice, although not as intense. Hybrids of H. striatum,which had been brought in a couple of years ago, varied more. Some complained greatly, and dropped all their leaves. Some just went forward more slowly. Species brought in as seed varied the most. Some dropped all leaves. Some dropped a few, and some did not. This varied from individual to individual. They were: H. papilio, H. glaucescens, H. blossfeldiae and H. morealianum. I am thinking that this shows that as we grow and reproduce even species sexually we are selecting for many things, not just the ones we think we are choosing. It will be interesting to find out whether flowers differ in the weaker and stronger individuals. Some people think that more extravagant flowers are a burden even at the genetic level. If this were true then there should in principle be a relationship of some kind here. Time will tell. Geoff