Plants – Rose – Climber
Plant Patent
1999-01-04
2001-06-05
Locker, Howard J. (Department: 1661)
Plants
Rose
Climber
Plant Patent
active
PP011905
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as
Dendranthema grandiflora
and referred to by the cultivar name Soft Heather.
The new cultivar is a product of a mutation induction breeding program conducted by the inventor in Fort Myers, Fla., and Salinas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having with desirable inflorescence form and color and good garden performance.
The new cultivar originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Heather (disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,440) to X-ray radiation at a level of 1,750 rads in March, 1994. Following the radiation treatment, the cuttings were rooted and terminal apices were removed (pinched) three times to promote lateral branch development. After lateral branches from the third pinch reached sufficient size, terminal cuttings were harvested, planted and flowered in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif. The cultivar Soft Heather was discovered and selected by the inventor as a single flowering plant within this population in August, 1994. The selction of this plant was based on its desirable ray floret color and good form.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cutting taken in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif., has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The cultivar Soft Heather has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Soft Heather’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Soft Heather’ as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Uniformly mounded plant habit.
2. Decorative-type inflorescences that are about 4.5 cm in diameter.
3. Attractive lavender-colored ray florets.
4. Numerous inflorescences per plant.
5. Very uniform flowering.
The new Chrysanthemum is similar to the parent cultivar Heather. However in side-by-side comparisons under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Heather in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about four or five days earlier than of plants of the cultivar Heather grown under natural season conditions.
2. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are lighter in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Heather.
3. Ray floret color of plants of the new Chrysanthemum fades more than ray floret color of plants of the cultivar Heather.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more compact than plants of the cultivar Heather.
REFERENCES:
patent: P.P. 9440 (1996-01-01), VandenBerg
patent: 4616099 (1986-10-01), Sparkes
Broertjes, et al., 1980, “A mutant of a mutant of a . . . Irradiation of progressive radiation-induced mutants in a mutation breeding programme withChrysanthemum morifolium”, Euphytica, 29: 525-530.*
Gosling, ed., 1979, “The Chysanthemum Manual—6thedition”, The National Chrysanthemum Society, London, Essex Telegraph Press, Ltd., pp. 329-336.*
Broertjes, 1978, “Application of Mutation Breeding Methods in the Improvement of Vegetatively Propagated Crops”, Elsevier Sci. Pub. Co., New York, pp. 162-175.*
Searle, et al., 1968, “Chrysanthemums The Year Round”, Blanford Press, London, pp. 27-29, 320-327.*
Chan, 1966, “Chrysanthemum and rose mutations induced by X-rays”, Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. Proc., pp. 613-620.*
Broertjes, 1966, “Mutation breeding of chrysanthemums”, Euphytica, 15: 156-162.*
Dowrick, et al., 1966, “The induction of mutations in chrysanthemum using x- and gamma radiation”, Euphytica, 15: 204-210.
Locker Howard J.
Whealy C. A.
Yoder Brother's Inc.
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