Chrysanthemum plant named `Hector`

Abstract

A Chrysanthemum plant named `Hector` characterized by its large sized blooms with orange ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date August 11-16; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

`Hector` 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 11-16; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant `Hector` 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, 99.4245, 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 11-16 (week 33). The average height of the plants was 30 cm. 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 large sized blooms with orange ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to `Hector` is `Glowing Lynn` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,038). When `Glowing Lynn` and `Hector` are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of `Glowing Lynn` and `Hector` are (1) Plant vigor. `Glowing Lynn` is less vigorous than `Hector` (2) Flower color. The ray florets of `Glowing Lynn` are orange, while those of `Hector` are orange-red.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish `Hector` 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 `Hector` Bud: Size.--Small; cross-section 0.8 cm, height 0.8 cm. Outside color.--Red-purple 59C. Involucral bracts.--2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm. Involucral bracts among disc-florets.--Not present. Involucral bracts color.--Green 143C. Bloom: Type.--Decorative. Size.--Large. Fully expanded.--5.5 cm. Peduncle length.--7 cm. Peduncle color.--Yellow-green 147C. Number of blooms per branch.--Approx. 15 blooms per branch. Performance on the plant.--5 weeks. Seeds.--Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-brown 199A, 11/2 mm in length. Fragrance.--Typical Chrysanthemum, slightly. Color: Center of the flower.--Immature Orange-red 34B. Mature Greyed-orange 173B. Color of upper surface of the ray-florets.--Orange-red 34C. Color of the lower surface of the ray-florets.--Orange 26C. Tonality from distance.--A garden mum with orange flowers. Color of upper side of ray florets after aging of the flowers.--Orange-red 34D. Ray florets: Texture.--Upper and under side smooth. Number.--250. Cross-section.--Flat. Longitudinal axis of majority.--Straight. Length of corolla tube.--Long; 1.4 cm. Ray-floret margin.--Entire. Ray-floret length.--2.6 cm. Ray-floret width.--0.5 cm. Ratio length/width.--Medium. Shape of tip.--Rounded. Disc florets: Disc diameter.--1 cm. Distribution of disc florets.--Few, only visible in mature flowers. Shape.--Tubular. Color.--Yellow-green 149C. Receptacle shape.--Domed raised. Reproductive organs: Stamen.--Present in disc florets only. Stamen color.--Yellow-green 144A. Pollen.--Produced in small amount. Pollen color.--Yellow 7A. 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. Growth habit.--Erect. Growth rate.--Intermediate. Height.--30 cm. Width.--33 cm. Stem color.--Yellow-green 148C. Stem strength.--Weak. Stem brittleness.--Brittle. Stem anthocyanin coloration.--Absent. Internode length.--2 cm. Length of lateral branch.--From top to bottom 10 cm. Lateral branch color.--Green 138B. Lateral branch, attachment.--Medium strength. Branching (average number of lateral branches).--Good with 12 breaks after pinching. Natural season blooming date.--August 11-16. Foliage: Leaf color.--Upper side Yellow-green 147B. Under side Yellow-green 148B. Color midvein.--Upper side Yellow-green 147D. Under side Green 138D. Size.--Medium; length 4 cm, width 2.5 cm. Quantity (number per lateral branch).--16. Shape.--Cordiform. Texture upper side.--Glabrous. Texture under side.--Pubescent. Venation arrangement.--Palmate. Shape of the margin.--Serrated. Shape of base of sinus between lateral lobes.--Rounded. Margin of sinus between lateral lobes.--Diverging. Shape of base.--Obtuse. Apex.--Mucronate. Petiole length.--1 cm. Petiole color.--Yellow-green 147D.

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety `Hector` Glowing Lynn Plant vigor Medium Low Color ray florets Orange-red 34C Greyed-orange 168C

Claims

I claim:

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