USPP15556P2 - Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Hercules’ - Google Patents

Abstract

A chyrsanthemum plant named ‘Hercules’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with red ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date August 18-23; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Hercules’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around August 18-23; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant ‘Hercules’ is a seedling resulting from the open pollination among groups of chrysanthemum cultivars maintained under the control of the inventor for breeding purposes. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout Holland in August 2001. The seedling resulted from the crossing of the female parent, 22.0296, with a mixed population of chrysanthemum plants serving as male parents. The plant has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in greenhouses at Rijsenhout Holland. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

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 and foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, Holland under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2002. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 18-23 (week 34). The average height of the plants was 30 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with red ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Hercules’ is ‘Dark Grenadine’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,632). When ‘Dark Grenadine’ and ‘Hercules’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘Dark Grenadine’ and ‘Hercules’ are (1) Flower size. The flowers of ‘Dark Grenadine’ are larger in size than those of ‘Hercules’ (2) Color ray florets. The ray florets of ‘Dark Grenadine’ are less red than ‘Hercules’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Hercules’ 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 ‘Hercules’

Bud
Size	Small; cross-section 1 cm, height 1 cm
Outside color	Yellow-green 147D
Involucral bracts	2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm
Involucral bracts among	Not present
disc-florets
Involucral bracts color	Green 138A
Bloom
Type	Decorative
Size	Medium
Fully expanded	5 cm
Peduncle length	5 cm
Peduncle color	Yellow-green 148B
Number of blooms per	Approx. 12 blooms per branch
branch
Performance on the plant	5 weeks
Seeds	Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-
	brown 199A, 1½ mm in length.
Fragrance	Typical chrysanthemum, slightly
Color
Center of the flower	Immature Red 46A
	Mature Red 46A
Color of upper surface of	Red 46C
the ray-florets
Color of the lower surface	Orange-red 34C
of the ray-florets
Tonality from distance	A garden mum with red flowers
Color of ray florets after	Red 46D
aging of the flowers
Ray florets
Texture	Upper and under side smooth
Number	250
Cross-section	Flat
Longitudinal axis of	Straight
majority
Length of corolla tube	0.2 cm
Ray-floret margin	Entire
Ray-floret length	2 cm
Ray-floret width	0.6 cm
Ratio length/width	Medium
Shape of tip	Rounded
Disc florets	Absent
Receptacle shape	Domed raised
Reproductive Organs
Stamen	Absent
Pollen	Not produced
Styles	Thick
Style color	Yellow 13A
Style length	4 mm
Stigma color	Yellow-green 144A
Stigma width	1 mm
Ovaries	Enclosed in calyx
Plant
Form	A garden mum outdoor mounded and round
Growth habit	Compact and spreading
Growth rate	Strong
Height	30 cm
Width	40 cm
Stem color	Yellow-green 148A with streaks of Greyed-
	red 181C
Stem strength	Strong
Stem brittleness	Not brittle
Stem anthocyanin	Present
Coloration
Internode length	2.5 cm
Length of lateral branch	From top to bottom 19 cm
Lateral branch color	Yellow-green 148A
Lateral branch, attachment	Strong
Branching (average number	Good with 10 breaks after pinching
of lateral branches)
Natural season blooming	August 18-23
date
Foliage
Leaf color	Upper side Yellow-green 147A
	Under side Green 138B
Color midvein	Upper side Green 138C
	Under side Yellow-green 148C
Size	Medium; length 5.5 cm, width 3.3 cm
Quantity (number per	15-18
lateral branch)
Shape	Cordiform
Texture upper side	Glabrous
Texture under side	Pubescent
Venation arrangement	Palmate
Shape of the margin	Serrated
Shape of base of sinus	Rounded
Between lateral lobes
Margin of sinus between	Diverging
lateral lobes
Shape of base	Obtuse
Apex	Mucronate
Petiole length	1 cm
Petiole color	Green 138C

TABLE 2
Differences with the comparison variery

	‘Hercules’	‘Dark Grenadine’

	Flower size	5 cm	7 cm
	Color ray florets	Red 46C	Greyed-red 179A

Claims (1)

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

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