--- a/hgsubversion/__init__.py
+++ b/hgsubversion/__init__.py
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ wrapcmds = { # cmd: generic, target, fix
         ('', 'layout', 'auto', ('import standard layout or single '
                                 'directory? Can be standard, single, or auto.')),
         ('', 'branchmap', '', 'file containing rules for branch conversion'),
-        ('', 'singlebranch', '', 'branch name to use for local svn commits'),
         ('', 'startrev', '', ('convert Subversion revisions starting at the one '
                               'specified, either an integer revision or HEAD; '
                               'HEAD causes only the latest revision to be '

--- a/hgsubversion/help/subversion.rst
+++ b/hgsubversion/help/subversion.rst
@@ -38,7 +38,9 @@ If you instead want to clone just a sing
 specific directory path. In the example above, to get *only* trunk, you would
 issue :hg:`clone http://python-nose.googlecode.com/svn/trunk nose-trunk`. This
 works with any directory with a Subversion repository, and is know as a single
-directory clone.
+directory clone. Normally, converted changesets will be marked as belonging to
+the ``default`` branch, but this can be changed by using the ``-b/--branch``
+option.
 
 Pulling new revisions into an already-converted repo is the same as from any
 other Mercurial source. Within the first example above, the following three
@@ -140,6 +142,11 @@ settings:
     Setting this boolean option to false will cause hgsubversion to abort a
     conversion if a revision has an author not listed in the author map.
 
+  hgsubversion.branch
+    Mark converted changesets as belonging to this branch or, if unspecifed,
+     `default`. Please note that this option is not supported for standard
+     layout clones.
+
   hgsubversion.branchmap
     Path to a file for changing branch names during the conversion from
     Subversion to Mercurial.

--- a/hgsubversion/svnmeta.py
+++ b/hgsubversion/svnmeta.py
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ class SVNMeta(object):
         self.usebranchnames = self.ui.configbool('hgsubversion',
                                                  'usebranchnames', True)
         branchmap = self.ui.config('hgsubversion', 'branchmap')
-        singlebranch = self.ui.config('hgsubversion', 'singlebranch')
 
         # FIXME: test that this hasn't changed! defer & compare?
         if subdir:
@@ -94,8 +93,6 @@ class SVNMeta(object):
         self.branchmap = maps.BranchMap(self.ui, self.branchmapfile)
         if branchmap:
             self.branchmap.load(branchmap)
-        if singlebranch:
-            self.branchmap['default'] = singlebranch
 
         self.lastdate = '1970-01-01 00:00:00 -0000'
         self.filemap = maps.FileMap(repo)

--- a/hgsubversion/wrappers.py
+++ b/hgsubversion/wrappers.py
@@ -246,6 +246,15 @@ def pull(repo, source, heads=[], force=F
         repo.ui.setconfig('hgsubversion', 'layout', layout)
         repo.ui.note('using %s layout\n' % layout)
 
+    branch = repo.ui.config('hgsubversion', 'branch')
+    if branch:
+        if layout != 'single':
+            msg = ('branch cannot be specified for Subversion clones using '
+                   'standard directory layout')
+            raise hgutil.Abort(msg)
+
+        meta.branchmap['default'] = branch
+
     ui = repo.ui
     start = meta.revmap.youngest
     origrevcount = len(meta.revmap)
@@ -390,7 +399,6 @@ optionmap = {
     'authors': ('hgsubversion', 'authormap'),
     'filemap': ('hgsubversion', 'filemap'),
     'branchmap': ('hgsubversion', 'branchmap'),
-    'singlebranch': ('hgsubversion', 'singlebranch'),
     'stupid': ('hgsubversion', 'stupid'),
     'defaulthost': ('hgsubversion', 'defaulthost'),
     'defaultauthors': ('hgsubversion', 'defaultauthors'),
@@ -408,6 +416,10 @@ def clone(orig, ui, source, dest=None, *
     them as well as other ways of customising the conversion process.
     """
 
+    branch = opts.get('branch', None)
+    if branch:
+        ui.setconfig('hgsubversion', 'branch', branch[-1])
+
     for opt, (section, name) in optionmap.iteritems():
         if opt in opts and opts[opt]:
             ui.setconfig(section, name, str(opts.pop(opt)))
@@ -436,6 +448,11 @@ def generic(orig, ui, repo, *args, **opt
     Subversion %(target)s can be used for %(command)s. See 'hg help
     %(extension)s' for more on the conversion process.
     """
+
+    branch = opts.get('branch', None)
+    if branch:
+        ui.setconfig('hgsubversion', 'branch', branch[-1])
+
     for opt, (section, name) in optionmap.iteritems():
         if opt in opts and opts[opt]:
             if isinstance(repo, str):

--- a/tests/test_single_dir_clone.py
+++ b/tests/test_single_dir_clone.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import errno
 import shutil
 import unittest
 
+from mercurial import dispatch
 from mercurial import commands
 from mercurial import context
 from mercurial import hg
@@ -212,6 +213,44 @@ class TestSingleDir(test_util.TestBase):
         self.assertTrue('default' in self.svnls(''))
         self.assertEquals(len(self.repo.branchheads('default')), 1)
 
+    def test_push_single_dir_renamed_branch(self, stupid=False):
+        # Tests pulling and pushing with a renamed branch
+        # Based on test_push_single_dir
+        test_util.load_svndump_fixture(self.repo_path,
+                                       'branch_from_tag.svndump')
+        cmd = ['clone', '--layout=single', '--branch=flaf']
+        if stupid:
+            cmd.append('--stupid')
+        cmd += [test_util.fileurl(self.repo_path), self.wc_path]
+        dispatch.dispatch(cmd)
+
+        def file_callback(repo, memctx, path):
+            if path == 'adding_file':
+                return context.memfilectx(path=path,
+                                          data='foo',
+                                          islink=False,
+                                          isexec=False,
+                                          copied=False)
+            raise IOError(errno.EINVAL, 'Invalid operation: ' + path)
+        ctx = context.memctx(self.repo,
+                             (self.repo['tip'].node(), node.nullid),
+                             'automated test',
+                             ['adding_file'],
+                             file_callback,
+                             'an_author',
+                             '2009-10-19 18:49:30 -0500',
+                             {'branch': 'default',})
+        self.repo.commitctx(ctx)
+        hg.update(self.repo, self.repo['tip'].node())
+        self.pushrevisions()
+        self.assertTrue('adding_file' in self.svnls(''))
+
+        self.assertEquals(set(['flaf']),
+                          set(self.repo[i].branch() for i in self.repo))
+
+    def test_push_single_dir_renamed_branch_stupid(self):
+        self.test_push_single_dir_renamed_branch(True)
+
 def suite():
     all = [unittest.TestLoader().loadTestsFromTestCase(TestSingleDir)]
     return unittest.TestSuite(all)