Chrysanthemum plant named `Fimmsungol`

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named `Fimmsungol`, characterized by its compact, upright to outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; medium to large decorative inflorescences with bright yellow-colored ray florets; mid-August flowering response under natural season conditions; and good garden performance.

Description

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum.times.morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: `FIMMSUNGOL`.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum.times.morifolium, commercially grown as a garden Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name `Fimmsungol`.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program is to create new early-flowering garden Chrysanthemum plants with numerous attractive inflorescences.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made in January, 2007 by the Inventor in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum.times.morifolium identified as code number 3030, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum.times.morifolium identified as code number 3137, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom in September, 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by terminal vegetative cuttings was first conducted in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom in December, 2007. Asexual reproduction by terminal vegetative cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions 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 `Fimmsungol`. These characteristics in combination distinguish `Fimmsungol` as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant: 1. Compact, upright to outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant habit. 2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit. 3. Uniform and freely flowering habit. 4. Medium to large decorative inflorescences with bright yellow-colored ray florets. 5. Plants flower under natural season conditions during the third week of August in the United Kingdom. 6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the female parent selection, in the following characteristics: 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about one month earlier than plants of the female parent selection under natural season conditions. 2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the female parent selection differ in ray floret color as plants of the female parent selection have pink-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the male parent selection, in the following characteristics: 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences than plants of the male parent selection. 2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower later than plants of the male parent selection under natural season conditions.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum.times.morifolium `Conaco Yellow`, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of `Conaco Yellow` in the following characteristics: 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had lighter green-colored leaves than plants of `Conaco Yellow`. 2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one month earlier than plants of `Conaco Yellow` under natural season conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum. The photograph comprises a top perspective view of a typical flowering plant of `Fimmsungol` grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the late summer and early autumn in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom and under cultural practices typical of commercial garden Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10.degree. C. to 25.degree. C., night temperatures ranged from 5.degree. C. to 15.degree. C. and light levels ranged from 400 to 2,500 joules. Plants were pinched one time and were about 14 weeks old when the photograph and detailed description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum.times.morifolium `Fimmsungol`. Parentage: Female, or seed, parent.--Proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum.times.morifolium identified as code number 3030, not patented. Male, or pollen, parent.--Proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum.times.morifolium identified as code number 3137, not patented. Propagation: Type.--Terminal vegetative cuttings. Time to initiate roots, summer.--About ten days at temperatures of about 21.degree. C. Time to initiate roots, winter.--About twelve days at temperatures of about 21.degree. C. Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.--About three weeks at temperatures of about 21.degree. C. Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.--About four weeks at temperatures of about 21.degree. C. Root description.--Fine, fibrous; light brown to white in color. Rooting habit.--Freely branching; medium density to sparse. Plant description: Plant and growth habit.--Herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum; compact with stems upright to outwardly spreading giving a uniformly mounded appearance to the plant; numerous lateral branches and relatively short internodes, dense and full plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit. Plant height.--About 20 cm. Plant width.--About 40 cm. Branching habit.--Freely branching habit, about nine lateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching); each primary lateral with numerous secondary laterals. Lateral branches.--Length: About 17 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Internode length: About 1 cm. Strength: Strong, flexible. Aspect: About 75.degree. from stem. Texture: Fine pubescence. Color: Close to 146D. Leaves.--Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 4 cm. Width: About 3 cm. Shape: Palmately-lobed; roughly ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Obtuse with truncate tendencies. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes parallel to divergent; dentate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Fine pubescence; veins prominent on lower surface. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 144A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 146C. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 146A; venation, close to 144B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to 144B. Petiole: Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Fine pubescence. Color, upper surface: Close to 146A. Color, lower surface: Close to 147B. Inflorescence description: Form and flowering habit.--Decorative inflorescence form with ligulate-shaped ray florets; inflorescences borne on terminals above and beyond the foliar plane; disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum; freely flowering habit with about 48 inflorescences developing per lateral branch and about 430 inflorescences developing per plant. Fragrance.--Slightly fragrant; pungent, herbaceous. Flowering response.--Early flowering habit, plants exposed to natural season conditions begin flowering the third week of August in the United Kingdom; with photoinductive conditions, response time is about 31 days. Inflorescence longevity.--Inflorescences maintain good color and substance for about three to five weeks on the plant; inflorescences persistent. Inflorescence buds.--Height: About 8 mm. Diameter: About 1 cm. Shape: Flattened globular. Color: Close to 144A. Inflorescence height.--About 2 cm. Inflorescence diameter.--About 4 cm. Receptacles.--Height: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Shape: Hemispherical, slightly pointed. Color: Close to 145C. Ray florets.--Orientation: Initially upright, then about 75.degree. from vertical. Length: About 2 cm. Width: About 5 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Mucronate. Base: Fused into a short tube. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 110 arranged in about ten whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 14A. When opening, lower surface: Close to 12B. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 9A; color becoming closer to 9B with development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 9C; color does not change with development. Disc florets.--Disc floret development has not been observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. Phyllaries.--Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25 arranged in about three to four whorls. Length: About 5 mm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Truncate, fused. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Fine pubescence. Color, upper surface: Close to 138C. Color, lower surface: Close to 138A. Peduncles.--Length, terminal peduncle: About 6 cm. Diameter, terminal peduncle: About 2 mm. Angle: Erect to about 30.degree. from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture: Fine pubescence, dense. Color: Close to 139C. Reproductive organs.--Androecium: None observed. Gynoecium: Pistil length: About 5 mm. Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma color: Close to 12B. Style length: About 2 mm. Style color: Close to 1B. Ovary color: Close to 157C. Seeds and fruits.--Seed and fruit production has not been observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Chrysanthemum plants has not been observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum grown under commercial conditions. Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have demonstrated good garden performance and to tolerate temperatures from about 0.degree. C. to about 35.degree. C.

Claims

It is claimed:

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named `Fimmsungol` as illustrated and described.