diff --git a/src/components/tree/phyloTree/change.js b/src/components/tree/phyloTree/change.js
index 77c2f120a..78fd96e1d 100644
--- a/src/components/tree/phyloTree/change.js
+++ b/src/components/tree/phyloTree/change.js
@@ -258,7 +258,6 @@ export const change = function change({
   /* change these things to provided value (unless undefined) */
   newDistance = undefined,
   newLayout = undefined,
-  newFocus = undefined,
   updateLayout = undefined, // todo - this seems identical to `newLayout`
   newBranchLabellingKey = undefined,
   showAllBranchLabels = undefined,
@@ -271,6 +270,7 @@ export const change = function change({
   tipRadii = undefined,
   branchThickness = undefined,
   /* other data */
+  focus = undefined,
   scatterVariables = undefined
 }) {
   // console.log("\n** phylotree.change() (time since last run:", Date.now() - this.timeLastRenderRequested, "ms) **\n\n");
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ export const change = function change({
   }
 
   if (changeNodeOrder) {
-    setDisplayOrder({nodes: this.nodes, focus: newFocus});
+    setDisplayOrder({nodes: this.nodes, focus});
     this.setDistance();
   }
 
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ export const change = function change({
   /* distance */
   if (newDistance || updateLayout) this.setDistance(newDistance);
   /* focus */
-  if (updateLayout) setDisplayOrder({nodes: this.nodes, focus: newFocus});
+  if (updateLayout) setDisplayOrder({nodes: this.nodes, focus});
   /* layout (must run after distance and focus) */
   if (newDistance || newLayout || updateLayout || changeNodeOrder) {
     this.setLayout(newLayout || this.layout, scatterVariables);
diff --git a/src/components/tree/reactD3Interface/change.js b/src/components/tree/reactD3Interface/change.js
index c5d1b43ba..67a3b6707 100644
--- a/src/components/tree/reactD3Interface/change.js
+++ b/src/components/tree/reactD3Interface/change.js
@@ -55,19 +55,19 @@ export const changePhyloTreeViaPropsComparison = (mainTree, phylotree, oldProps,
   /* explode! */
   if (oldProps.explodeAttr !== newProps.explodeAttr) {
     args.changeNodeOrder = true;
-    args.newFocus = newProps.focus;
+    args.focus = newProps.focus;
   }
 
   /* enable/disable focus */
   if (oldProps.focus !== newProps.focus) {
-    args.newFocus = newProps.focus;
+    args.focus = newProps.focus;
     args.updateLayout = true;
   }
   /* re-focus on changes */
   else if (oldProps.focus === true &&
            newProps.focus === true &&
            (zoomChange || dateRangeChange || filterChange)) {
-    args.newFocus = true;
+    args.focus = true;
     args.updateLayout = true;
   }