U.S. patent number PP33,181 [Application Number 16/974,411] was granted by the patent office on 2021-06-22 for hibiscus plant named `french vanilla`.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Walters Gardens, Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Hans A Hansen. Invention is credited to Hans A Hansen.
United States Patent |
PP33,181 |
Hansen |
June 22, 2021 |
Hibiscus plant named `French Vanilla`
Abstract
A new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy, herbaceous,
perennial, hybrid Hibiscus plant named `French Vanilla` comprising
a compact, upright, spreading, mounded habit of multiple,
well-branched, basal stems producing flowers from the bottom to the
top of the plant from late July to early September. Flowers have
overlapping, moderately-rippled petals opening creamy-yellow with
slightly darker veins and dark red shiny eye with leading margin
folded underneath giving flowers extra strength and resistance to
wind damage. The flower buds open at the apex one to two days prior
to the flower opening up flat, and the petals in the bud stage are
greenish-yellow. The foliage is typically three-lobed, and rich
olive-green with greyed-purple coloration when young.
Inventors: |
Hansen; Hans A (Zeeland,
MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hansen; Hans A |
Zeeland |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Walters Gardens, Inc. (Zeeland,
MI)
|
Appl.
No.: |
16/974,411 |
Filed: |
January 19, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
PLT/257 |
Current International
Class: |
A01H
6/60 (20180101); A01H 5/00 (20180101) |
Field of
Search: |
;PLT/257 |
Primary Examiner: Para; Annette H
Claims
I claim:
1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial Hibiscus hybrid
plant named `French Vanilla` as herein illustrated and described.
Description
Botanical classification: Hibiscus hybrid (L.).
Variety denomination: `French Vanilla`.
STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)
The first non-enabling disclosure was a brief description and
photograph of the new plant on Dec. 1, 2019 on the website operated
by Walters Gardens, Inc. The first disclosure, in the form of a
sale, was made by Walters Gardens, Inc. on Mar. 20, 2020. Walters
Gardens, Inc. obtained the new plant and all information relating
thereto, from the inventor. No plants of Hibiscus `French Vanilla`
have been sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, by any
name, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made more than
one year prior the filing date of this application, and such sale
or disclosure within one year was either derived directly or
indirectly from the inventor.
BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT
The present invention relates to the new and distinct hardy,
herbaceous, Hibiscus plant, Hibiscus `French Vanilla` hybridized
under direction of the inventor Aug. 17, 2016 at a wholesale
perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant is a
self-pollination of the unreleased, proprietary hybrid known as
15-118-5 (not patented). Into the trial process the new plant was
assigned the breeder code labeled 16-58-2. The parent has a complex
mixture of species in them, comprising the species: moscheutos and
coccineus.
Hibiscus `French Vanilla` was first asexually propagated in late
summer of 2018 by sterile shoot-tip tissue culture and later by
shoot tip cuttings at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The
resultant asexually propagated plants have been found to be stable
and true to type in successive generations of asexual
reproduction.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT
Hibiscus `French Vanilla` differs from its parents as well as all
other hardy herbaceous Hibiscus known to the applicant in many
traits. The most similar Hibiscus cultivars known to the applicant
are: `Old Yella` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,630, `New Old Yella` U.S.
Plant Pat. No. 23,698, `Creme Brulee` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,556
and `Crown Jewels` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857. `Old Yella` has a
taller and more open habit, the foliage is ovate and much lighter
green, and the flower color is a lighter yellow. `New Old Yella`
has a larger habit with lighter green, smaller foliage with rounded
bases, the flower petals are narrower, less imbricate, without the
leading edge folded under, the center eye is smaller and lighter
reddish color and the flower buds are not open at the apex days
prior to opening flat. `Creme Brulee` has a less branched habit,
more purple-colored foliage, flowers with smaller eyes of lighter
reddish color, petals without leading edges folded under and bud
apices not opening slightly days prior to opening flat. `French
Vanilla` has more rippled flower petals than all of the above
comparison plants. `Crown Jewels` has a slightly taller and broader
habit, and the flower color is more white.
The parent plant is less compact in habit, the foliage lighter
green and the flowers lighter creamy yellow.
Hibiscus `French Vanilla` is a unique hardy herbaceous Hibiscus
with the following combined traits: 1. Winter-hardy compact
perennial with upright, spreading, mounded habit of multiple,
well-branched, basal stems; 2. Many rotate flowers opening
creamy-yellow and becoming creamy-white with intense sun and high
temperatures; 3. Petals are overlapping and moderately rippled with
the leading edge folded underneath giving extra strength and
resistance to wind damage; 4. Flowers produced over a long period
from late July to mid-September; 5. Flower petals frequently open
at bud apex one to two days prior to opening flat and are a
greenish-yellow; 6. Primarily three-lobed foliage of rich
olive-green with greyed-purple color when young.
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, source and direction may cause the appearance of
minor variation in color. The plants in the photographs are from a
three-year-old plant in an outdoor trial garden in Zeeland,
Mich.
FIG. 1 shows the landscape habit of the new plant in full
flower.
FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower.
FIG. 3 shows the bud about a day before opening with the apex
already open.
DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The following descriptions and color references are based on the
2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except
where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus
`French Vanilla`, 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
three-year-old plants in the loamy-sand, open-field full-sun trials
of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and
water as needed. The plants are of natural habit and were not
treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any
time in the growth year. Parentage: The female or seed parent is
the unreleased, non-patented, proprietary Hibiscus known by the
breeder code 15-118-5, the male or pollen parent is the same plant
known by the breeder code 15-118-5; Propagation: Method.--Shoot tip
cuttings and sterile shoot-tip plant tissue culture division. Time
to initiate roots from tissue culture.--About two weeks. Rooting
habit.--Normal, branching, developing thick to about 2.2 cm
diameter, fleshy; root color creamy yellow nearest RHS 161D
depending on soil type. Crop time.--Under normal summer growing
conditions 12 to 16 weeks to flower in a four-liter container from
cutting. Plant vigor is very good. Plant description: Plant
habit.--Hardy herbaceous perennial with about five thick, upright,
heavily-branched stems producing an upright spreading mound to
about 104.0 cm tall and about 142.0 cm wide; flowering from base to
top of plant with up to about 21 flowers in the upper main stem and
up to 94 flowers on the branches of a single stem. Stem.--Terete,
glabrous, glaucous; to about 104.0 cm tall and about 3.8 cm
diameter at base, average about 98.0 cm tall and about 2.8 cm
diameter at base. Stem color.--Proximal main stems nearest RHS 146A
with lenticular marks of nearest RHS 145C; distal main stems
nearest RHS 183C. Lateral branches.--To 28 per stem, average about
12 per stem; terete; glabrous; glaucous; to about 39.0 cm long and
1.0 cm diameter at base, smaller distally. Lateral branch
color.--Proximally nearest a blend between RHS 138D and RHS 192C;
distally nearest RHS 183C. Internode.--About 6 nodes per stem below
branches and 21 below single flowers; average about 50 nodes per
stem; internode length about 2.0 cm of unpinched plant. Internode
color.--Same as surrounding stem. Foliage description: Typically
tri-lobed, rarely penta-lobed; alternate; coarsely and irregularly
crenate; apex and side lobes narrowly acute; base truncate to
cordate; micro-puberulent abaxial and adaxial; moderately to deeply
incised, to about 20.0 mm from petiole; adaxial and abaxial
surfaces dull; leaf blades to about 19.0 cm long and about 13.5 cm
across, average blade size 15.0 cm long and 10.1 cm wide; no
fragrance detected; Foliage color.--Young expanding leaves --
adaxial variable nearest RHS 137B and RHS N187A, abaxial nearest
RHS 191B; mature leaves -- adaxial nearest RHS NN137A, abaxial
between RHS 148B and RHS 194A. Veins.--Palmate; dull adaxial and
abaxial; slightly applanate adaxial, costate on abaxial. Vein
color.--Adaxial nearest RHS 182A in basal main veins RHS 185C
distally nearest RHS 148C, abaxial between RHS 160B and RHS 162B
distally moderately blushed with nearest RHS 182B.
Petioles.--Applanate adaxial to abaxial, asperous adaxial and
abaxial; glabrous; to about 8.0 cm long and 5.0 mm diameter at
base, average about 6.2 cm long and 4.0 mm wide at base. Petiole
color.--Young and mature adaxial nearest RHS 146D blushed heavily
with RHS 187B in high light; abaxial nearest RHS 146D moderately
maculate to blushed with nearest RHS 187B distally in regions of
high light. Flower description: Complete; actinomophic; mostly
outward facing; rotate; to about 16.0 cm across and 5.5 cm deep,
decreasing distally; with a reddish center eye about 4.2 cm across;
Buds one day prior to opening flat.--Ellipsoidal with rounded apex
and petals frequently open about 1.0 to 1.5 cm, and bluntly
truncate base; sepals proximally adpressed to petals and distally
flaring; to about 5.5 cm long and about 4.0 cm diameter in middle;
petals not tightly closed at apices, open about 1.0 to 2.0 cm up to
two days prior to petals opening flat. Bud color one day prior to
anthesis.--Exposed petal color nearest RHS 2D and calyx nearest RHS
146C. Epicalyx.--Typically ten per flower; linear; margin entire,
glabrous; dull surface abaxial and adaxial; sharply acute apex and
truncate base, arcuate upwards near apex; about 2.3 cm long and
about 3.0 mm wide at base. Epicalyx color.--Adaxial nearest RHS
146C, and abaxial nearest RHS 146A. Calyx.--Campanulate, form
star-shaped hypanthium; to about 1.5 cm deep and 5.5 cm wide at
apices. Sepals.--Five, acute to apiculate apex; glabrous; margin
entire, edentate; abaxial and adaxial surfaces matte; about 3.2 cm
long, about 2.3 cm wide at slightly distal to fusion, fused in
basal 1.5 cm. Sepal color.--Adaxial nearest RHS 146C with veins of
nearest RHS 146D; abaxial nearest RHS 146C without obvious veins.
Inflorescence.--Solitary, up to 115 per branched stem without
pinching; nearly flat face; mostly outwardly facing. Flower
lastingness.--Persist for one to two days; effective for at least 6
weeks beginning late July. Flower fragrance.--No detectable
fragrance. Petals.--Five; glabrous adaxial and abaxial; adaxial eye
zone lustrous, remaining distal adaxial portion and entire abaxial
matte; adnate to the androecium to form a column, leading edge
(inside) frequently folded under between 3.0 to 10.0 mm; imbricate
to about 100% overlapping at widest part (petals overlapping 100%
to the petals on either side); undulation moderate; palmately
veined, primary veins impressed on adaxial and slightly costate
abaxial; surface moderately rippled; apex rounded with distinct
basal claw and limb; margins entire, edentate. Petal size.--Average
about 12.3 cm across and about 8.2 cm long, claw base about 8.0 mm
across (smaller in later part of flowering season); reddish eye
extending about 2.1 cm from base with reddish midrib extending
distally 9.0 mm beyond eye and secondary veins extending 5.0 mm
beyond eye. Petal color.--Adaxial distal portion nearest a blend
between RHS 4D and RHS 155A, the proximal 3.0 mm next to column
nearest RHS a blend between RHS 4D and RHS 155A, the reddish eye
portion nearest RHS 59C and radiating veins between RHS 58A and RHS
58B. Gynoecium.--Single; partially enclosed in column. Staminal
column: glabrous and lustrous; about 2.4 cm long and about 13.0 mm
across at base; with pistil exserted about 8.0 mm above top of
column. Column color: without antnocyanins, nearest RHS NN155D.
Style: cylindrical; nearly completely enclosed in column;
micro-puberulent in region above staminal column, glabrous within
column; about 3.2 cm long, penta-furcate in about distal 5.0 mm,
branch diameter about 1.0 mm; color nearest RHS 4D. Stigma:
typically five; globose, puberulent, about 3.0 mm in diameter and
1.0 mm tall; color RHS 4C. Ovary: superior; globose, longitudinally
grooved; rounded to broadly acute apex and flat truncate base;
about 6.0 mm across at base and about 7.0 mm tall; acute apex;
color nearest RHS 146D. Androecium.--Numerous, approximately 80 to
100. Filaments: terete; lustrous and sparsely puberulent; arcuate
toward stigma; covering almost entire column; to about 3.0 mm long
and about 0.5 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 155D. Anthers: oblong
ellipsoidal; basifixed; longitudinal; about 2.0 mm long and 1.0 mm
across and about 0.8 mm thick; color nearest RHS 11C. Pollen:
abundant, globose, less than 0.1 mm long; color nearest RHS 19D.
Pedicel: Terete, glabrous in distal portion and micro puberulent in
proximal portion; glaucous; average length from base of sepal to
abscission point about 2.0 cm long, from abscission point to stem
node about 1.0 cm long; about 3.0 mm wide; longer on early flowers
and decreasing in distal flowers; Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 146C
distal abscission point, and RHS 146C with light blush of nearest
RHS 178C proximal abscission point; Peduncle: Terete; glabrous:
glaucous; to about 104.0 cm tall and about 3.8 cm diameter at base,
average about 98.0 cm tall and about 2.8 cm diameter at base; Stem
color: Proximal main stems nearest RHS 146A with lenticular marks
of nearest RHS 145C; distal main stems nearest RHS 183C; Fruit and
seed: Not yet observed, but not tested for sterility; Resistance:
Hibiscus `French Vanilla` has not displayed any pest and disease
susceptibility or resistance beyond that typical of hardy perennial
Hibiscus. Culture: The plant grows best with plenty of moisture.
Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4 through 9.
* * * * *