USPP18544P3 - Chrysanthemum plant named Libra - Google Patents

Abstract

A chrysanthemum plant named Libra characterized by its medium sized blooms with white ray florets and a cream center, and prolife branching; natural season flower date August 29-September 4; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Libra 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 29-September 4; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant. Libra is a seedling resulting from a crossing program, set up by a previous breeder, and which records are unknown to the inventor. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2001. The first act of asexual production of Libra was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in 2001 and propagated further in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. 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 of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the various stage of foliage of the new cultivar.

The plant shown in the photographic drawings was fifteen (15) weeks old when those photographs were taken.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium L. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2005. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 29-September 4 (week 35). The average height of the plants was 25-30 cm cm. The plants were pinched once, just after planting. 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 white ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to Libra is ‘Unicorn’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,697). When ‘Unicorn’ and Libra are being compared the following differences are noticed: The difference of ‘Unicorn’ and Libra are (1) Flower size and (2) Plant habit. (1) The flowers of ‘Unicorn’ are smaller in size than those of ‘Libra’. (2) The plant form of ‘Unicorn’ is more erect than the ball-shaped form of plants of ‘Libra’.

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

Bud
Size	Small; cross-section 1 cm, height 0.5 cm
Outside Color	Yellow 10D
Involucral bracts	2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm
Involucral bracts among disc-	Not present
florets
Involucral bracts color	Green 138A
Bloom
Type	Double
Height	1.5 cm
Size	Medium
Fully Expanded	5.5 cm
Peduncle length	9 cm
Peduncle color	Green 138B
Number of blooms per	Approx. 8 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 Yellow 4A
	Mature Yellow 4A
Color of upper surface of the	White 155A
ray-florets
Color of the lower surface	White 155D
of the
ray-florets
Tonality from Distance	A garden mum with white flowers and a
	cream center
Color of the ray-florets after	White 155D
aging of the plant
Ray florets
Texture	Upper and under side smooth
Number	250
Cross-section	Convex
Longitudinal axis of	Straight to incurving
majority
Length of corolla tube	0.4 cm
Ray-floret margin	Entire
Ray-floret length	2-2.5 cm
Ray-floret width	0.5-0.8 cm
Ratio length/width	Medium
Shape of tip	Rounded
Disc florets
Disc diameter	0.2 cm
Distribution of disc florets	Few, only visible in mature stage
Shape	Tubular
Color	Yellow 4A to Yellow 11D at base
Receptacle shape	Conical raised
Reproductive Organs
Stamen	Present in disc florets only
Stamen color	Yellow-green 144A
Pollen	Present
Pollen color	Yellow 7A
Styles	Thin
Style color	Yellow 13A
Style Length	0.3 cm
Stigma color	Yellow-green 144A
Stigma Width	1 mm
Ovaries	Enclosed in calyx
Plant
Form	Grown as a spray type potmum, outdoor
	mounded and round
Growth habit	Spherical shape
Growth rate	Medium
Height	25-30 cm
Width	45 cm
Stem Color	Greyed-brown 199C
Stem Strength	Medium
Stem Brittleness	Not brittle
Stem Anthocyanin Coloration	Absent
Internode length	2 cm
Length of lateral branch	From top to bottom 15-20 cm
Lateral branch color	Green 138A
Lateral branch, attachment	Medium strength
Branching (average number	Good with 7-8 breaks after pinching
of lateral branches)
Natural season blooming date	August 29-September 4
Foliage
Leaf color	Upper side Green 136A-137A
	Lower side Green 138A
Color midvein	Upper side Yellow-green 147D
	Lower side Yellow-green 148D
Size	Small.; length 3-5.5 cm, width 1.8-
	3.5 cm
Quantity (number per lateral	25
branch)
Shape	Elliptic to obovate
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	Acute
Apex	Mucronulate
Petiole length	1-1.5 cm
Petiole color	Yellow-green 147D

TABLE 2
Differences with the comparison variety

	‘Libra’	‘Unicorn’

	Flower size	5.5 cm	3.5-4 cm
	Plant height	25-30 cm	28 cm
	Plant width	45 cm	30-34 cm

Claims (1)

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

Images