Azalea plant named ‘Amulet’

Details Azalea plant named ‘Amulet’ Azalea plant named ‘Amulet’

2000-06-08

2001-08-14

Campell, Bruce R. (Department: 1661)

Plants

Rose

Climber

Plant Patent

active

PP012052

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Azalea, botanically known as
Rhododendron hybrida
, an evergreen greenhouse-forcing type of Azalea, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Amulet’.
The new Azalea is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Azalea varieties having uniform plant habit, profuse and uniform flowering, dark green foliage, good foliage retention during the cooling and forcing periods, resistance to Cylindrocladium, and excellent postproduction longevity. The new Azalea originated from a cross made by the Inventor in March, 1992, in Salinas, Calif., of the cultivar ‘Prize’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,795, as the female, or seed, parent with the cultivar ‘Alice Holland’, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent.
The new Azalea was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla., in August, 1994. The selection of this plant was based on its semi-double to double flower form, dark purple flower color, very large flower size, uniform flowering response, improved foliage retention, and excellent postproduction longevity.
Asexual reproduction of the new Azalea by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla., has shown that the unique features of this new Azalea are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The new Azaela has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, light intensity, nutrition and water status without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Amulet’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Amulet’ as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Very dark green glossy leaves that do not abscise during the cooling and forcing periods.
2. Large plants with dense and outwardly spreading plant habit; vigorous growth habit.
3. Freely branching habit.
4. Uniform flowering response.
5. Numerous, very large, and showy dark purple-colored flowers.
6. Semi-double to double flower form.
7. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good flower substance for more than four weeks in an interior environment.
8. Very low incidence of infection with Cylindrocladium in inoculated trials.
Plants of the new Azalea differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar ‘Prize’, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Azalea have much larger flowers than plants of the cultivar ‘Prize’.
2. Plants of the new Azalea have semi-double to double flowers whereas plants of the cultivar ‘Prize’ have semi-double to double hose-in-hose flowers.
3. Plants of the new Azalea have dark purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar ‘Prize’ have dark rose pink-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Azalea differ from plants of the male parent, the cultivar ‘Alice Holland’, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Azalea retain their lower foliage better than plants of the cultivar ‘Alice Holland’.
2. Plants of the new Azalea flower more uniformly than plants of the cultivar ‘Alice Holland’.
3. Plants of the new Azalea have semi-double to double flowers whereas plants of the cultivar ‘Alice Holland’ have single flowers.
4. Plants of the new Azalea have dark purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar ‘Alice Holland’ have reddish purple-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Azalea can be compared to the plants of the cultivar ‘Lavender Lace’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,137. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of the new Azalea differed from plants of the cultivar ‘Lavender Lace’ in the following characteristics:
1. Foliage of plants of the new Azalea is less susceptible to amide injury than foliage of plants of the cultivar ‘Lavender Lace’.
2. Plants of the new Azalea have semi-double to double flowers whereas plants of the cultivar ‘Lavender Lace’ have single flowers.
3. Plants of the new Azalea have dark purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar ‘Lavender Lace’ have lavender-colored flowers.
4. Plants of the new Azalea have longer postproduction longevity than plants of the cultivar ‘Lavender Lace’.


REFERENCES:
patent: P.P. 2568 (1965-11-01), Hahn
patent: P.P. 10508 (1998-07-01), Stahnke et al.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Azalea plant named ‘Amulet’ does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Azalea plant named ‘Amulet’, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Azalea plant named ‘Amulet’ will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2456284