USPP12991P2 - Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Virunga Yellow’ - Google Patents

Abstract

A Chrysanthemum plant named ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ characterized by its LARGE sized blooms with YELLOW ray-florets and YELLOW-GREEN disc florets.

Description

RELATED CULTIVARS

‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ is related to VIRUNGA (copending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/561,939). ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ is a color mutant of VIRUNGA.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ is a product of a breeding and selection program which had the objective of finding color mutants of VIRUNGA. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant that is a natural occuring sport of a parent chrysanthemum named VIRUNGA. A comparison with Parent chrysanthemum VIRUNGA is also made in this application. The new cultivar was discovered as a whole plant mutation in September 1998 by Rob Noodelijk in a controlled environment (greenhouse) in Rijsenhout Holland. The first act of asexual reproduction of ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in November 1998 in Rijsenhout Holland.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum bearing large sized blooms with yellow ray-florets and yellow-green disc florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar;

FIG. 3 shows the various stages of foliage and petiole of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Dendranthema grandiflora. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown in a greenhouse in Rijsenhout Holland in a photo-periodic controlled crop under conditions generally used in commercial practice. The greenhouse temperatures during this crop were at day-time between 18° C. and 25° C. and at night 20° C. The photo-periodic response time in this crop was 53 days after an average of eight long days. After this long day period to flowering growth retardants were applied 6 times in an average dose of 1.5 gram/liter water. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. This new variety produces large sized blooms with yellow ray-florets and yellow-green disc-florets blooming on the plant for 5 weeks. This new variety of chrysanthemum has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics throughout successive propagations however the phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as light intensity and temperature. To show the phenotype as described ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ can be planted without assimilation lightning (high pressure sodium lamps) between week 50 and week 40 of the next year under greenhouse conditions in Holland. With assimilation light (minimum level 2500 lux) it can be planted year round under greenhouse conditions in Holland.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ is VIRUNGA. When VIRUNGA YELLOW and ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ are being compared the following differences and similarities are noticed: The difference of VIRUNGA and ‘VIRUNGA’ is the ray-floret color for which characteristics ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ has been selected out of VIRUNGA. ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ is yellow, VIRUNGA is yellow-orange. All other characteristics of VIRUNGA and ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ are similar.

From other commercial available varieties known to inventor ‘MIRAMAR’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,469) is most similar to ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’. Both varieties have a large yellow daisy flower. Plant habit and shape, foliage form and color are general differences, but also flower color and shape are different. ‘virunga yellow’ has a lemon yellow flower and the ray-florets are smaller/longer than the ray-florets of ‘MIRAMAR’. (3) The disc-floret of ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ is smaller.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’ as a new and distinct variety. The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

TABLE 1
Botanical Description of CULTIVAR ‘VIRUNGA YELLOW’

	Bud
	Size	Large; Cross-section 1.0 cm
		height 1.0 cm
	Outside Color	Green-yellow 1 A
	Involucral bracts	2 rows, length 7 mm,
		width 3 mm
	Involucral bracts	Not present
	among disc-florets
	Involucral bracts	Yellow-green 146 D
	color
	Bloom
	Type	Daisy
	Height	Flat
	Size	Large
	Fully Expanded	6.5-7.0 cm.
	Borne (number of	Approx. 4 blooms per
	blooms per branch)	branch
	Performance on the	5 weeks
	plant
	Seeds	Not produced
	Fragrance	Typical chrysanthemum
	Color
	Center of the flower	Immature yellow-green 144
	(disc-florets)	A
		Mature yellow-orange 15 C
	Color of upper	Yellow 3 A
	surface of the ray-
	florets
	Color of the lower	Yellow 4 B
	surface of the ray-
	florets
	Tonality from	A pot mum with large
	Distance	yellow flowers and a
		green disc
	Discoloration to	None
	color
	Ray florets
	Texture	Upper and under side
		smooth.
	Number	27-30
	Cross-section	Concave
	Longitudinal axis of	Reflexing
	majority
	Length of corolla	Short
	tube
	Ray-floret length	3.2-3.5 cm.
	Ray-floret width	0.8-1.0 cm.
	Ratio length/width	Medium
	Shape of tip	Pointed
	Disc florets
	Disc diameter	1.2-1.4 cm.
	Distribution of disc	Numerous clearly visible at
	florets	all stages of flowering.
	Shape	Tubular
	Color	Yellow-green 144 A
	Receptacle shape	Conical
	Reproductive Organs
	Stamen (present in	Yellow-green, thick, 4 mm.
	disc florets only)
	Number of stamen	Grown together as one
	Stamen color	Yellow-green 144 C
	Pollen	Present at mature stage
	Pollen color	Yellow-orange 12 A
	Styles (present in	Yellow-green, thin
	both ray and disc
	florets)
	Style color	Yellow-green 14 C
	Style Length	5 mm.
	Stigmas	Yellow-green
	Stigma Width	2 mm.
	Ovaries	Enclosed in calyx
	Plant
	Form	A pot mum meant for indoor use
	Growth habit	Spreading
	Growth rate	Rapid
	Height	24-26 cm.
	Width	26-28 cm.
	Stem Color	Yellow-green 146 D
	Stem Strength	Medium to strong
	Stem Brittleness	Absent
	Stem Anthocyanin	Absent
	Coloration
	Length of lateral	From top to bottom 12-13 cm
	branch
	Lateral branch,	Weak
	attachment
	Branching (average	Poor with 3 breaks after
	number)	pinching
	Peduncle length	3.5-4.5 cm.
	Peduncle color	Yellow-green 146 D
	Flowering	53 days
	Response (photo-
	periodic controlled
	crop, not natural
	season)
	Foliage
	Color	Upper side green 137 A
		under side green 147 B
	Size	Medium; length 7.0 cm,
		width 5.0 cm
	Quantity (number per	6-8
	lateral branch)
	Shape	Ovate
	Texture upper side	Glabrous
	Texture under side	Pubescent
	Venation arrangement	Palmate
	Shape of the margin	Serrated
	Shape of Base of	Round
	Sinus Between
	Lateral Lobes
	Margin of Sinus	Converging
	Between Lateral
	Lobes
	Shape of Base	Rounded (sometimes
		asymmetric)
	Apex	Mucronate

TABLE 2
Differences with the comparison Varieties

	‘VIRUNGA
	YELLOW’	‘VIRUNGA’	‘MIRAMAR’

Ray-floret color	Yellow 3 A	Yellow-	Yellow 5 A
		orange 22 A
Disc-floret size	1.2-1.4 cm.	1.2-1.4 cm.	1.4-1.7 cm.

Claims (1)

I claim:

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described

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