This newbie is confused and needs seed help!

While I have saved sunflower seeds in the past, this is the first year I've attempted to save anything else and to trade with others. Many of the varieties I collected have the stock phrase, "N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed" in their PlantFIle pages. For example, Meadow Rue (Hewitt's Double), French Marigold (Disco Red), hosta (giant, blue[unk]), Croscosmia, etc. Will other traders still be interested in seeds from plants that "dont come true from seed"? I dont wanna get the reputation of sending bum seeds!

Thank you,
Kerry

Most plants/flowers that won't come true from seed are called hybrids. Do a search on the word 'hybrid' and all of this will make a lot more sense, lol. It can get confusing!! Hybrids will only come true if propagated from cuttings, tissue, roots, etc.
Now, whether or not anyone will be interested in those seeds is up to the individual trader AND it also depends on the plant/flower. That just makes it more confusing, huh?

Here's the deal...
I LOVE Hosta. I KNOW Hosta won't come true from seed, however, I know I can easily and cheaply grow Hosta from seed and get some interesting outcomes. Would I want your Hosta seed? You betcha!! Now, the French Marigold doesn't interest me...but the next person who comes along may be a collector of those. So, it's definately worth saving all those seeds.
Most folks who are seed traders/collectors will know their seeds and what they are looking for....that is THEIR responsibility...and part of the fun of seeds!
When you make up a trade list you can mark any such seeds with an * if it makes you feel better. At the top of your list make a notation about what the * means. Many folks do that. An even easier way is to just simply mark what seeds are open pollenated and collected from your garden vs what are purchased seeds. When you look at most other trader's lists you'll see that's how most folks handle this. There's never a guarantee on open pollinated seeds...it's always a surprise.

Another thing.....I have gotten seeds that were not supposed to germinate...they were supposed to be sterile...and guess what??? They germinated and the correct plant grew. Most times it's just that you aren't guaranteed to get an exact replica by seed...and that's ok with a lot of traders. :)

Sometimes we use "from" to denote such seeds.
from pink double cosmos would indicate where I got the seeds,but they might be singles or hybrids.

then there is someone like me, who does not understand any of this but loves to get seeds, any seeds, just so they flower and the bees, or hummers or birds come to them. LOL (i usually trade for postage or the california natives i am sure of) i am probably at the far end of the seed trader spectrum.

We each do what we can to preserve the diversity of nature.
There is no one way.
Everybody contributes in their own way.

You know those rules they told you in grade 6 science class? Plants often bend the rules (or perhaps the rules simply don't apply in the same way...) Hybrid plants (crosses between what are considered distinct species) may or may not be sterile. (In the animal world, hybrids are usually sterile.)

Named varieties/cultivars of plants may not "come true" from seed, i.e. they may not look exactly like or have the specific cultivar characteristics of the parent plant. As I understand it, when referring to seeds from a named cultivar, the botanical shorthand is, for example, Gaillardia grandiflora ex. 'Goblin'. The "ex." means the seeds were collected from a specimen of 'Goblin' (as CLScott said) but it telegraphs the message that the seeds may not produce plants that are like 'Goblin' (i.e. might be taller, who knows?)

i have marigolds that i bought that started out light orange. i saved the seeds and the flowers from those seeds were darker orange with even darker stripes. cant wait to seed what the seeds from those flowers produce.

We learn as we go. Thanks for the "ex" explanation.