Well, I'm not a "tomato guru" but it seems like both courses of action have risks as you've described. You can either wind up with many different names for very similar tomatoes, or, on the other hand, have different tomatoes with the same name and have people debating which is the real variety.

The easiest thing might be to go along with SSE and call it Pruden's Purple, but give it a "strain" name, as in "Brandywine, Sudduth Strain" or "Mortgage Lifter, Mullens Strain" and ask people to list the original name in their descriptions.

George,
You should re-post this over on the Tomato Forum. There are a lot of tomato people over there that don't look at this forum who might have a good answers.
I do find it interesting. If you disseminated your seeds a long time ago many people could be growing your strain as they pass it onto others. The people you asked to keep the name may not have. You didn't mention what year you first offered or how many people you mailed it to.
Which makes me wonder where Pine Tree Seed's original source was. My Prudens Purple seeds came from them. It is uniform in shape. Or do you mean uniform in size because I do have a good variance in size.
Anyway, re-post over on the tomato forum. See what the tomato experts over there say : )
Remy

Thank you both for your input. I'm going to wait to re-post, as I am working on doing a "genealogy" of those who have offered it through the Seed Savers Exchange, tracing the sources. I can only, at best do one year a day, and I've only worked on it two days. I have been a member since 1984, but started my research in the 85 book. Today I worked on 1986. Tomorrow, perhaps, I'll dig up my 1984 book and work on that.

Remy, from what I've seen so far, your Pruden's Purple was in the SSE before I ever listed mine. Pinetree Garden Seed's Dick Meiners listed the variety in 1986,stating that he got his seed from Garret Pittenger of Ontario, Canada. Mr. Pittenger listed seed both in 85 and in 86, stating that his source was Alex Caron, also of Ontario. None of these three gentlemen mentioned this variety as being rough. Thane H. Earle in Wisconsin, who also offered seed to Pruden's Purple through the SSE (in 85 & 86, at least) wrote that the variety was rough. He offered seed at least in 85 and 86. He didn't list where he got his seed from.

Presently I'm compiling a list of those to whom I sent seed. Part of the problem is that the first year I offered the seed, I saw the similarity in names and labeled it "Pruden's Purple," myself, even though I didn't get the seed from anyone who used that name. This is going to be interesting. I'll keep you all "posted." (Pun intended.)

I did write to Carolyn, on the tomato list and tell her I'd send her what information I manage to gather.

Thanks for your input!

George
Tahlequah, OK

PS. In one of the other SSE yearbooks Kent Whealy made a note that most of those offering seed to Pruden's Purple (or Prudence Purple, as I called it) got their seed through "Gardens for All," a great little garden magazine. So it is still possible, in my mind, that all of these sources trace back to the same original source.

I did write to Carolyn, on the tomato list and tell her I'd send her what information I manage to gather.

George, I've received nothing from you at all.

Just wanted to let you know.

And I too have looked at the background of Prudence Purple vs Prudence Purple Top vs Prudens Purple vs who knows what, and I find it so confusing as to be non-solvable at this point other than for someone to grow out all acquisitions at the same time in the same season and compare them.

That's what was done with all the Brandywine strains that were once listed and it turned out most weren't distinct strains, just named after someone, but not distinct as to strain differences, and that's also what was done with the various Mortgage Lifter strains as well.

There are errors galore in the tomato section and have been for years. I've made some suggestions about how one might go about fixing some of them, but SSE staff is small, the job almost impossible to do for various reasons that have been disussed, and most folks are just glad to have access to so many varieties.

Again, I've received nothing from you.

If you sent me something thru GW it didn't get to me, as has been happening with others.

may I suggest you go to my blurb in the front of any SSE Yearbook and e-mail me using that direct address?

Carolyn, who does think that input on your thread might have been much better in the regular Tomato Forum where OP types are discussed a lot, but those few who might have had input are very busy this time of the year and many have gone to the new tomato message site, never to return to GW.

Hi Carolyn,

I did write through the Garden Web. Unfortunately I didn't save a copy. The main thing I mentioned to you was that I had posted here and that I would be happy to share with you whatever I found out.

The main reason I didn't post on the Tomatoes forum was that I have been in other groups which are very strict about their purpose and, not having been in the tomato forum very much, I was a bit put off by the stated purpose, up front "This forum is for the discussion of tomato growing, including plant selection, care and maintenance, as well as harvesting. " I thought perhaps Heirlooms would be the better place.

I'll keep at it. What you don't have, for sure, is record of all those to whom I sent seed. Before I used a PC I kept record by writing these things into the margins of my winter yearbooks.

Perhaps next year I can volunteer to try such a grow out. This being our first growing season in Tahlequah, I don't have the space worked up for such a luxury.

George
Tahlequah, OK

George, I don't know if this is helpful, since this discussion may have moved to the tomato forum... but SSE has compiled their "super yearbook" on computer, they can do database printouts for specific purposes. They did one for me this year, listing all the soybeans ever listed by MN LO R (they emailed me the file). You are a long-time member, I am sure they would do the same; it could provide you some answers.

Thanks Zeedman. I may well check into that. I started, and got about half way through, going through the year books and tracing things. Then I got busy and set that project aside. Good tip!

George