>>11093304>>11093379It's been around for a long time. The x originates in the world of botany
>In botanical nomenclature, a hybrid may be given a hybrid name, which is a special kind of botanical name, but there is no requirement that a hybrid name should be created for plants that are believed to be of hybrid origin. A hybrid may be indicated by a formula listing the parents. Such a formula uses the multiplication sign "×" to link the parents. >A hybrid name can be indicated by: >a multiplication sign "×" placed before the name of an intergeneric hybrid or before the epithet of a species hybrid. An intervening space is optional. e.g.: Iris × germanica or Iris ×germanica is a species derived by hybrid speciation 
