The Man'yoshu (meaning "collection of ten thousand leaves") is the oldest anthology of poetry in Japan. One poem, written by the Empress Koken in 752 AD, describes the unusual autumnal appearance of eupatorium plants during the summer — they exhibit a characteristic yellow leaf pattern on their leaves, attributed to the presence of a geminivirus called eupatorium yellow-vein virus (EpYVV). In a Brief Communication in the April 24
Saunders et al. investigated the possibility that, in addition to EpYVV, a DNA β-satellite component was required for the aetiology of eupatorium plants. Cloned tandem repeats...