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Large satellite RNAs associated with <i>Grapevine fanleaf virus</i> (GFLV) from the genus <i>Nepovirus</i> in the family <i>Secoviridae</i> were identified in a naturally GFLV-infected vineyard in California and in a national clonal germplasm repository in New York by IC-RT-PCR and specific primers. Analysis of the genetic variability showed nucleotide sequence similarities between large satellite RNAs of GFLV and <i>Arabis mosaic virus</i> (ArMV), a closely related virus. Two distinct phylogenetic groups, each with GFLV and ArMV satellite RNAs, were characterized, indicating no genetic distinction with respect to the identity of the helper virus. Nucleotide sequence analyses predicted that GFLV satellite RNAs originated from a recombination event between an ancestral GFLV genomic RNA and another RNA sequence of unknown origin. Assessing the biological properties of GFLV strains with and without satellite RNAs showed no apparent effect of satellite RNAs on disease progress, symptom expression and virus titer in <i>Chenopodium quinoa</i>, a systemic host. This study sheds light on the origin and ecology of large satellite RNAs associated with GFLV. <p><p>Keywords: Virus-Viroid, Fruits-Nuts, Grape