U.S. patent number PP27,411 [Application Number 14/544,454] was granted by the patent office on 2016-11-22 for miscanthus plant named `autumn anthem`.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Walters Gardens Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Hans A. Hansen, Kevin A. Hurd. Invention is credited to Hans A. Hansen, Kevin A. Hurd.
United States Patent |
PP27,411 |
Hansen , et al. |
November 22, 2016 |
Miscanthus plant named `Autumn Anthem`
Abstract
A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Miscanthus sinensis
plant named `Autumn Anthem` useful in the landscape en masse, small
group or single specimen with dense upright culms and arching
foliage having dark green summer color and white midribs. The
flower habit is a tall dome outline emerging in late summer and
effective through the winter changing from a silly pink to airy
creamy tan-colored.
Inventors: |
Hansen; Hans A. (Zeeland,
MI), Hurd; Kevin A. (Austin, TX) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hansen; Hans A.
Hurd; Kevin A. |
Zeeland
Austin |
MI
TX |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Walters Gardens Inc. (Zeeland,
MI)
|
Family
ID: |
57286928 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/544,454 |
Filed: |
January 8, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
PLT/384 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01H
5/12 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01H
5/12 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;PLT/384 |
Primary Examiner: McCormick Ewoldt; Susan
Claims
We claim:
1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Miscanthus sinensis
plant named `Autumn Anthem` as herein described and illustrated.
Description
Botanical classification: Miscanthus sinensis.
Variety denomination: `Autumn Anthem`.
BACKGROUND AND CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PLANTS
The present invention relates to the new and distinct plant
cultivar of Miscanthus sinensis named `Autumn Anthem`, hereinafter
also referred to as `Autumn Anthem` and the "new plant" which
represents a new and distinct cultivar of ornamental maiden grass
for landscape and cut foliage and flower use. The seed was the
result of open pollination between Miscanthus sinensis `Nippon`
(not patented) as the female or seed parent and the male or pollen
parent is unknown but may have been any one of a number of cultivar
or seedling selections in the breeding area. Seed was collected by
the inventors in late summer of 2010 at a wholesale perennial
nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. During initial evaluation in the
summer of 2011 and afterward the seedling was assigned the breeder
code of KH10-11-01. Final evaluation of the single original
seedling was performed at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. in the
summer and fall of 2012.
The new plant has been successfully asexually propagated by
division and sterile plant tissue culture at the same perennial
plant nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and found to produce stable and
identical plants that maintain the unique characteristics of the
original plant. The plant is stable and reproduces true-to-type in
successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Miscanthus `Autumn Anthem` differs from its parents as well as all
other Miscanthus known to the applicant. The new plant differs from
the seed parent Miscanthus `Nippon` primarily in the flowering long
dome effect that covers the top two-thirds of the plant. The flower
dome of `Nippon` is shorter and covers closer to the top
one-quarter.
The nearest other comparison cultivars known to the inventors
include: `Gracillimus` (not patented), `Huron Sunrise` (not
patented) and `Malepartus` (not patented). `Gracillimus` is thinner
finer textured foliage and flowers later in the season. `Huron
Sunrise` is likewise later flowering, but has thicker coarser
leaves than the new cultivar. `Melepartus` is earlier flowering
than `Autumn Anthem` and also differs in having burgundy tinted
foliage. All of the above listed comparison cultivars are also
taller than `Autumn Anthem`.
SUMMARY AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT
The new plant is different from all Miscanthus sinensis cultivars
known to the applicant in the following combined traits: 1. Dense
upright culms with arching foliage. 2. Leaves in summer are dark
green with a narrow near white midrib. 3. Flowers emerge in late
summer and are effective through the winter. 4. Flowering habit is
dense and at varying heights creating a tall dome outline. 5.
Overall flower effect begins maize-colored, then opens to a light
greyed purple and finally seed heads produce an airy light greyed
yellow effect.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance
of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as
accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient
light spectrum, intensity, source and direction may cause the
appearance of minor variation in color. The plant in the
photographs is a three-year old plant grown in full-sun trial
garden.
FIG. 1 shows the overall plant in mid fall.
FIG. 2 shows the a close-up of the foliage in mid-fall.
DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The following descriptions and color references are based on the
2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except
where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, `Autumn
Anthem`, has not been observed under all possible environments. The
phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental
conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and
maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The
following observations and size descriptions are of a
three-year-old plant in a trail garden in Zeeland, Mich. in full
sun with supplemental water and fertilizer. Parentage: Miscanthus
sinensis `Nippon` (not patented) (female, seed).times.unknown
pollen parent. Propagation method: By division of the culms and by
shoot tissue culture. Time to finishing in a three-liter pot: About
three months. Rooting habit: Normal, fibrous, coarse, branching.
Plant description: Hardy herbaceous perennial forming tightly
rhizomatous clump, with upright culms and arching leaves producing
a medium landscape texture through summer and fine flowering
texture through winter. Plant size: Foliage height before flowering
is about 90 to 100 cm tall from soil line to the top of the leaves
and about 35 to 45 cm wide at soil line, about 140 to 150 cm at
mid-level of flowering dome and about 140 to 150 cm tall to top of
flowers. Foliage description: Glaucous, glabrous, entire except
microscopically serrulate, linear, conduplicate along center vein,
alternate, arching from sheath to apex; sheathed from node of
attachment to ligule; deciduous but persist through winter. Foliage
size: Total length about 60.0 to 70.0 cm long, averaging about 66.0
cm; length of sheath average about 18.0 cm, average length of blade
about 48.0 cm long; average about 6.5 mm wide. Foliage color:
Changing through the season and with seasonal development, young
expanding foliage nearest RHS 144A both surfaces; mature foliage
N138A on top and RHS 138A underneath; winter color lighter than RHS
199D. Color at ligule: Between RHS 163B and RHS 163C on upper
leaves, between RHS 144B and 144C in upper leaves. Veins: Parallel;
center vein about 2.0 mm wide. Vein color: Center vein nearest RHS
155C both top and bottom; other veins same as the surrounding leaf
on both the top and bottom of the leaf. Culm: Glaucous, glabrous,
erect, cylindrical, completely enclosed by leaf sheath, about 80 to
100 cm long to panicles and about 5.0 mm diameter at base;
internode length 8 to 27 cm, shorter near base, average about 14.8
cm. Culm color: Changes with seasons; early-season nearest RHS
145C, mid-season nearest RHS 138A, later-season after flowering
between RHS 199C and RHS 199B. Nodes: Swollen, lower nodes to about
7.0 mm diameter, glabrous; covered by sheath. Ligule: Fringed
membranous, 2.0 mm long and as wide as leaf; with fine hairs to 5.0
mm long. Ligule color: Nearest RHS 163B; drying to nearest RHS
165D; hair color RHS 165D. Flower description: Spikelets in pairs
on branched panicle, one panicle per culm, beginning early to
mid-September, drying on plant but persisting through winter; no
fragrance detected. Panicle: About 30 to 35 cm long, 30 to 32 cm
wide at widest portion; with about 20 branches; branches to about
17.0 cm long. Panicle color: Beginning nearest RHS 184C and
developing to RHS 161C. Spikelet: With tufts of fine hairs about
5.0 mm long and about 0.1 mm diameter at base and along sides of
paired glumes. Pedicle: About 2.5 mm long and less than 0.5 mm
diameter; color nearest RHS 166C. Lemma: Of about equal size and
color to palea; about 4.5 mm long and about 1.0 mm wide; base
truncate with tufts of hairs; apex narrowly acute; margin entire
with hairs of equal size to basal tuft; color nearest RHS 163C;
hair color collectively nearest RHS 158C. Palea: Matched to lemma
in size, shape, hairs and color. Awn: Thin, bristle, about 9.0 mm
long; color between RHS 166C and RHS 166D. Gynoecium: Two.
Stigma.--Two, plumose, protruding about 2 mm from glume; color
nearest RHS 183C. Androecium: Filaments.--Fine, hair-like, white,
about 2.0 mm long and about 0.3 mm diameter. Anthers.--Oblong;
about 3.0 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 183B.
Pollen.--Abundant; color nearest RHS 16C. Fruit: Caryopsis;
enclosed in glume; about 2 to 3 mm long and about 0.5 mm diameter,
nearest RHS 164C. Hardiness, pest and disease resistance: The plant
grows best with plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is
able to tolerate considerable drought when established. Hardiness
at least from USDA zone 5 through 9. Disease and pest resistance
beyond what is typical of that of other Maiden Grasses has not been
observed.
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