U.S. patent number PP34,202 [Application Number 17/300,435] was granted by the patent office on 2022-05-03 for echinacea plant named `tanager`.
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 |
PP34,202 |
Hansen |
May 3, 2022 |
Echinacea plant named `Tanager`
Abstract
The new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant named `Tanager`
with fragrant inflorescences on strong, dark, branched stems
producing single whorls of rich tangerine-orange ray florets. The
large inflorescence produces ray florets that tend to stay nearly
horizontal through maturity. The cones on the new plant are dark
wine-colored. The new plant flowers from mid-summer to late summer,
and is suitable as a potted plant, for the landscape, and for cut
flower arrangements.
Inventors: |
Hansen; Hans A (Zeeland,
MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hansen; Hans A |
Zeeland |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Walters Gardens Inc. (Zeeland,
MI)
|
Family
ID: |
1000006073533 |
Appl.
No.: |
17/300,435 |
Filed: |
June 29, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
PLT/428 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01H
6/1448 (20180501) |
Current International
Class: |
A01H
5/02 (20180101); A01H 6/14 (20180101) |
Field of
Search: |
;PLT/428 |
Primary Examiner: Bell; Kent L
Claims
I claim:
1. A new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant named `Tanager`
as herein described and illustrated.
Description
Botanical denomination: Echinacea hybrid.
Cultivar designation: `Tanager`.
STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)
The first non-enabling disclosures of the claimed plant, in the
form of a photograph and brief description on a website operated by
Walters Gardens, Inc. on Feb. 1, 2020 followed by a photograph and
brief description in the "Walters Gardens 2020-2021 Catalog" on May
20, 2020. The claimed plant was first sold on Jun. 29, 2020 by
Walters Gardens, Inc., who obtained the plant and all information
relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants of Echinacea
`Tanager` have been sold in this country or anywhere in the world,
nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made, more than one
year prior to the filing date of this application, and such sale or
disclosure within one year was either derived directly or
indirectly from the inventor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar of
Coneflower from the genus Echinacea and given the cultivar name
`Tanager`. The new plant was the result of a cross by the inventor
of an unnamed proprietary hybrid known as 15-27-8 (not patented) as
the female parent and an unnamed proprietary hybrid known as
15-27-7 (not patented) as the male on Aug. 8, 2015 at a wholesale
perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The single seedling selected
was evaluated first in trials in the summer of 2017 at the same
nursery and assigned the breeder code of 16-52-1.
Echinacea `Tanager` has been asexually propagated at the same
nursery by crown division since 2018 and also using careful shoot
tip tissue culture procedures and found to reproduce plants that
exhibit all the characteristics identical to the original plant in
successive generations.
Echinacea `Tanager` is distinct from all other Coneflowers known to
the inventor. The nearest comparison cultivars are: `Frankly
Scarlet` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 33,582 `Balsomador` U.S. Plant Pat.
No. 26,639, `Julia` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,629, `Flame Thrower`
U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,932, `Tiki Torch` U.S. Plant Pat. No.
18,839, `TNECHKIO` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,769, `Tomato Soup` U.S.
Plant Pat. No. 19,427 and `Orange You Awesome` U.S. Plant Pat. No.
32,105.
The female parent plant, 15-27-8, was not maintained as either
plants or in photography, so no comparison is possible. The male
parent plant, 15-27-7, was not maintained as either plants or in
photography, so no comparison is possible.
`Frankly Scarlet` is slightly taller in habit and the ray florets
are more intense bright scarlet-orange. `Balsomador` is slightly
smaller in habit and ray florets have a more reddish-orange overlay
and droop more in maturity, and the cone color is lighter. `Julia`
has narrower ray florets that are less overlapping, droop more in
maturity and more greyed-orange to reddish-orange on taller plants.
`Flame Thrower` produces much taller and broader plants with ray
florets that cup down producing duller ray florets with more greyed
orange to orangish-yellow. `Tiki Torch` is much taller in habit,
the inflorescences are smaller and the ray florets are
orangish-pink. `TNECHKIO` has much shorter habit, smaller
inflorescences and the ray florets are more reddish-orange. `Tomato
Soup` has florets that droop more and are not as overlapping, and
the habit is nearly twice as tall as the new plant. `Orange You
Awesome` is slightly shorter and has ray florets that are less
overlapping of a lighter tangerine orange color.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Echinacea `Tanager` has not been evaluated under all possible
environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in
environment including: growing temperature, available sunlight,
nutrients, water, etc. without a change in the genotype of the
plant. The new plant is distinct from its parents and all other
Echinacea known to the applicant in the following combined traits:
1. Fragrant inflorescences on strong branched stems; 2. Large,
broad inflorescences with single whorl of ray florets that tend to
stay horizontal once open; 3. Ray florets of rich tangerine-orange
with dark stems and dark wine-colored cones; 4. Vigorous growth and
excellent habit; 5. Dark-green ovate foliage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The photographs of `Tanager` demonstrate the overall appearance of
the plant including the unique traits. The drawings of the new
plant are of a two-year-old plant grown in full-sun trial garden in
Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible
with color reproductions. Some slight variation of color may occur
as a result of lighting quality, intensity, wavelength, direction
or reflection.
FIG. 1 shows the habit of the new plant in flower.
FIG. 2 shows a close up of some inflorescences from above.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT
The following description of Echinacea `Tanager` is based on
observations of two-year-old specimens grown in a partially shaded
greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant has not been tested in
all environments and some phenotypic differences may occur with
different environments without, however, any change in genotype.
The color descriptions are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal
Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary
descriptions are used. Parentage: Female or seed parent is the
proprietary unreleased hybrid 15-27-8 and male parent is the
proprietary unreleased hybrid 15-27-7 comprising of `Little Annie`
(not patented) and `Solar Flare` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,133; Plant
habit: Multi-stemmed, freely-branched, hardy herbaceous perennial,
flowering to about 45 cm tall and foliage to 25 cm tall and 34 cm
wide; Growth rate: Vigorous, finishing in 4 liter containers in
about 2 months during the summer; Roots: Cream-colored, finely
branched; Foliage: Alternate; ovate; acute apex; attenuate base;
margin dentate, micro-ciliolate; hirsutulous abaxial and adaxial;
to about 14.0 cm long and 6.0 cm wide decreasing distally, average
about 12.5 cm long and 4.2 cm wide; Leaf color: Young leaves
adaxial nearest RHS 137B, abaxial nearest RHS 137C; mature leaves
adaxial nearest NN137A, abaxial nearest RHS 137B; Foliage
fragrance: Lightly herbal; Venation: Pinnate; with two major
arcuate veins on both sides of the midrib; abaxial midrib and veins
costate; glabrous adaxial, hirsutulous abaxial; Vein color: Adaxial
midrib and primary veins nearest RHS 193A, secondary nearest RHS
NN137A; abaxial primary veins between RHS 146D and RES N144A,
secondary nearest RHS 137A; Petiole: Concavo-convex, strigillose
adaxial and sparsely puberalent to strigillose abaxial; to about 17
cm long and 1.0 mm wide at the base on lowest leaves and decreasing
to nearly sessile distally; color nearest adaxial nearest 137A,
abaxial nearest RHS 137B with adaxial midrib between RHS 146D and
RHS 145C and abaxial midrib nearest RHS 146D; Peduncle:
Strigillose; cylindrical; strong stiff; average 35 cm long and 8.0
mm diameter at base; quantity per plant about seven; Peduncle
color: Nearest RHS 146C proximally with a strong blush to solid
nearest RHS 187C distally; Internode: About 12 per peduncle;
average about 2.9 cm long, shorter proximally and longer distally;
node color same as surrounding peduncle; Branches: Cylindrical,
strigillose; tightly angled to main stem to about 60.degree. above
horizontal: to about 20 cm long and 4.5 mm diameter; color nearest
RHS 146C proximally with a strong blush to solid nearest RHS 187C
distally; Inflorescence: Bracteate head, aggregate of achene; with
single whorl of distinct ligulate ray florets and disk florets in a
pappus; flowering mid-summer to late summer; initial inflorescence
largest, to about 10 cm wide and 4.8 cm tall, average about 8.0 cm
diameter, with cones 4.0 cm across and 4.5 cm tall; approximately 4
inflorescences per peduncle; Inflorescence fragrance: Lightly
sweet; Flower persistence: Remaining effective in color for 10 to
14 days depending on temperatures, cone drying on plant and
effective into winter; Involucre: With numerous bracts, about 65
per inflorescence in 4 to 5 whorls; arcuate downward toward
peduncle; Involucre bracts: Lanceolate to linear; narrowly acute
apex; truncate base; micro-ciliolate margin; adaxial glabrous to
micro-puberulent; abaxial strigillose; to about 13.0 mm long and
5.0 mm across decreasing distally; color nearest RHS 147C adaxial
center, abaxial center nearest RHS 138B, adaxial margin nearest RHS
139A and abaxial margins nearest RHS 137B; Inflorescence buds with
ray florets vertical and still enrolled: About 22 mm across and 22
mm tall; ray floret color nearest RHS N77B with spines nearest RHS
187A; Ray florets: Zygomorphic; arrangement in single whorl,
frequently lightly imbricate; ligulate, apex emarginated with two
or more notches to 3.0 mm deep; base attenuate; margin entire;
adaxial and abaxial surfaces matte; 18 to 24 per inflorescence;
opening to horizontal, drooping up to only 15 degrees below
horizontal with maturity; astemonous; ray floret to 44.0 mm long
and 11.0 mm wide, average size 32.0 mm long, 8.5 mm wide at center
tapering to 2 mm wide at base; thickened veins raised adaxial; Ray
floret color: Changing with maturity; when first horizontal young
adaxial nearest RHS 169A with basal 2 mm nearest RHS 184C; abaxial
young nearest RHS 186D with veins nearest RHS 186B, basal 2 mm
between RHS 146D and RHS N144A; mature adaxial distal and center
portions between RHS 168D, RHS 173D and RHS N170C, proximally
between RHS 71B and RHS 173D with base nearest RHS 146D; mature
abaxial nearest RHS 159C with veins lighter than RHS 186D; Disk
florets: About 250 to 400 per head; actinomorphic; perfect;
synandrous; produced in raised dome, about 4.5 cm across and 4.0 cm
tall; Disk floret corolla.--Fused forming tube; about 5.0 mm long
and 2.0 mm wide, fused in tube in basal 4.0 mm, free in distal 1.0
mm; individual disk florets about 0.5 mm wide at fusion; acute
apex; entire margin; both surfaces slightly lustrous. Disk floret
corolla tube color.--Adaxial and abaxial nearest RHS 146D, except
distal 0.5 mm nearest RHS 183C. Disk floret androecium.--Five;
synandrous. Androecium.--Present on disk florets only. Staminal
column.--About 0.7 mm wide and protrudes from corolla tube about 2
mm; five fused stamens; color nearest RHS 200A. Anthers.--Fused,
about 3.0 mm long and 0.7 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 200A.
Filaments.--Five; attached to column; thin, less than 0.2 mm
diameter and 0.5 mm long; color nearest RHS 158D. Pollen.--Globose,
less 0.1 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 17A. Gynoecium.--Single;
to 9.0 mm long; present on both ray and disk florets. Style.--About
4.0 mm long and 0.3 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 200A.
Stigma.--Bifid; about 1.5 mm long and 0.3 mm diameter; color
nearest RHS N186A. Fruit.--Achene; pyramidal; about 4 mm long and 3
mm wide; acute base and fringed flattened apex; color variable
nearest RHS 199D and between RHS 202A and RHS 202B. Receptacle
spines: With disk florets; acicular; lustrous; to 14 mm long and
1.5 mm across; Spine color: Upon opening apices nearest RHS 187A,
center portion nearest 138A with bases nearest RHS 145C; mature
flower apices nearest RHS N186C, central portion nearest RHS 138A,
and base nearest RHS 145D; after ray florets fall apices nearest
RHS 178A, midsection nearest RHS 138A with base nearest RHS 145D;
after dried base nearest RHS N200A and distal 5.0 mm nearest RHS
202A; Disease resistance: Resistance and susceptibility beyond that
of other hardy Coneflower cultivars has not been observed. Growth:
The plant grows best with plenty of moisture and adequate drainage,
but is able to tolerate some drought when mature. Hardiness: at
least from USDA zone 4 through 8.
* * * * *