Plants – Rose – Climber
Plant Patent
2000-06-08
2001-08-14
Campell, Bruce R. (Department: 1661)
Plants
Rose
Climber
Plant Patent
active
PP012054
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 Azalea, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Honesty’.
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 February, 1992, in Salinas, Calif., of the cultivar ‘Cachet’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,412, as the female, or seed, parent with the cultivar ‘Alaska’, 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 June, 1994. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant habit, dark green foliage, double flower form, white flower color, large flower size, uniform flowering response, 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 Azalea 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 ‘Honesty’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Honesty’ as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Dark green glossy leaves that do not abscise during the cooling and forcing periods.
2. Dense and outwardly spreading plant habit.
3. Freely branching habit.
4. Uniform flowering response.
5. Freely flowering habit.
6. Large, showy, double white-colored flowers.
7. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good flower substance for more than four weeks in an interior environment. Flowers typically do not shatter.
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 ‘Cachet’, primarily in flower color as plants of the cultivar ‘Cachet’ have fuchsia pink-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Azalea differ from plants of the male parent, the cultivar ‘Alaska’, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Azalea are more compact than plants of the cultivar ‘Alaska’.
2. Plants of the new Azalea have darker green, glossier and smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar ‘Alaska’.
3. Flowers of plants of the new Azalea do not shatter whereas flowers of the cultivar ‘Alaska’ shatter.
Plants of the new Azalea can be compared to the plants of the cultivar ‘Irish Lace’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,187. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of the new Azalea differed from plants of the cultivar ‘Irish Lace’ in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Azalea are more vigorous and have a more uniform plant habit than plants of the cultivar ‘Irish Lace’.
2. When forced, plants of the new Azalea flower about ten days later than plants of the cultivar ‘Irish Lace’.
3. The flower color of plants of the new Azalea is more white with less light green than the flower color of plants of the cultivar ‘Irish Lace’.
4. Plants of the new Azalea last about eight days longer than plants of the cultivar ‘Irish Lace’ in postproduction longevity trials.
Bell Kent L.
Campell Bruce R.
Whealy C. A.
Yoder Brother's Inc.
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