diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Layer.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Layer.js
index b4f4eb2457..9277435259 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Layer.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Layer.js
@@ -92,6 +92,10 @@ OpenLayers.Layer.prototype = {
         // catch any randomly tagged-on properties
         obj = OpenLayers.Util.applyDefaults(obj, this);
         
+        // a cloned layer should never have its map property set
+        //  because it has not been added to a map yet. 
+        obj.map = null;
+        
         return obj;
     },
     
diff --git a/tests/test_Layer.html b/tests/test_Layer.html
index e71c656a57..dfde1ed318 100644
--- a/tests/test_Layer.html
+++ b/tests/test_Layer.html
@@ -30,10 +30,14 @@
     }
 
     function test_02_Layer_clone (t) {
-        t.plan( 5 );
+        t.plan( 6 );
         
+        var map = new OpenLayers.Map('map'); 
         var options = { chicken: 151, foo: "bar" };
         var layer = new OpenLayers.Layer('Test Layer', options);
+        map.addLayer(layer);
+
+        // randomly assigned property
         layer.chocolate = 5;
 
         var clone = layer.clone();
@@ -41,10 +45,13 @@
         t.ok( clone instanceof OpenLayers.Layer, "new OpenLayers.Layer returns object" );
         t.eq( clone.name, "Test Layer", "default clone.name is correct" );
         t.ok( ((clone.options["chicken"] == 151) && (clone.options["foo"] == "bar")), "clone.options correctly set" );
-        t.eq(layer.chocolate, 5, "correctly copied randomly assigned property");
+        t.eq(clone.chocolate, 5, "correctly copied randomly assigned property");
 
         layer.addOptions({chicken:152});
         t.eq(clone.options["chicken"], 151, "made a clean copy of options");        
+
+        
+        t.ok( clone.map == null, "cloned layer has map property set to null")
         
     }