U.S. patent number PP34,509 [Application Number 17/803,300] was granted by the patent office on 2022-08-16 for panicum plant named `niagara falls`.
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 |
PP34,509 |
Hansen |
August 16, 2022 |
Panicum plant named `Niagara falls`
Abstract
A new and distinct plant of ornamental Switch Grass named
Panicum `Niagara Falls` with wide, blue-green, broadly-arching
foliage that retains its coloration into the fall. The upright and
dense culms produce medium-height plants with broadly-spreading
airy panicles beginning greyed reddish-purple and becoming tan seed
heads that are retained into winter. The broadly-arching foliage
produces a wide skirt effect below the panicles. The new plant is
useful in the landscape as a specimen, en masse, or in a
container.
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.: |
17/803,300 |
Filed: |
April 28, 2022 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
PLT/384 |
Current International
Class: |
A01H
5/12 (20180101); A01H 6/46 (20180101) |
Field of
Search: |
;PLT/384 |
Primary Examiner: Redden; Karen M
Claims
I claim:
1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Switch Grass, Panicum
plant named `Niagara Falls`, as herein described and illustrated.
Description
Latin botanical classification: Panicum virgatum (L.).
Variety denomination: `Niagara Falls`.
STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)
The first non-enabling disclosure of the claimed plant was the
photograph and brief description on a website operated by Walters
Gardens, Inc. on Dec. 1, 2021. The claimed plant was first sold on
May 24, 2021, by Walters Gardens, Inc. to Plant Delights Nursery,
Inc. and Overdevest Nurseries. Inc. who obtained the plant and all
information relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants of
Panicum `Niagara Falls` 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 PLANT
Panicum `Niagara Falls`, hereinafter also referred to just by the
cultivar name `Niagara Falls` and the "new plant" is a new and
distinct cultivar of Switch Grass.
The new plant originated from a cross by the inventor between
`Apache Rose` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,142 and `Northwind` at a
wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. in the late summer of
2014. The seed was collected in the autumn of 2014 and sown the
following spring. The individual seedling was initially selected
from among many for further observation in the summer and fall of
2016 at which time it was assigned the breeder code 14-5-13 before
giving the new plant a cultivar name.
The new plant has been successfully asexually propagated by
division since late fall of 2016 at the same wholesale 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.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT
Panicum `Niagara Falls` differs from its female parent, `Apache
Rose`, in that the new plant is slightly taller, with more arching
foliage, and has more blue-green foliage that does not change over
the growing season.
The nearest comparison varieties known to the inventor are: `Blue
Fountain` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,192, `Gunsmoke` U.S. Plant Pat.
No. 32,373, `RR1` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,994, `Northwind` (not
patented), `Shenandoah` (not patented), and `Thundercloud` U.S.
Plant Pat. No. 20,665.
`Blue Fountain` is significantly taller in habit and not as broadly
arching. `Gunsmoke` has a slightly taller habit and is much more
upright foliage. `Northwind` is significantly taller with more
upright leaves and the foliage is similar in early leaf color but
becomes more yellowish-green in September. `Shenandoah` is taller
and less arching in habit, the culms are looser and not as densely
arranged, and the foliage develops a reddish-purple color in the
fall. `Thundercloud` is more than twice as tall, and the habit is
less arching with the leaves more outwardly.
Table 1 below includes comparisons of other Panicum cultivars known
to the inventor:
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 U.S. PLANT TOTAL HEIGHT INITIAL CULTIVAR
PAT. NO. (cm) COLOR `Apache Rose` 29,142 95 gray-green `Bad Hair
Day` 29,313 210 yellow-green `Blue Fountain` 28,192 210 blue-green
`Cape Breeze` 24,895 75 dark green `Cheyenne Sky` 23,209 112
blue-green `Dallas Blues` 11,202 193 grayed blue-green `Gunsmoke`
32,373 135 blue-green `Haense Herms` (not patented) 100 green
`Heavy Metal` (not patented) 180 blue-green `Hot Rod` 26,074 90
blue-green `Niagara Falls` current appl. 108 blue-green `Northwind`
(not patented) 180 blue-green `Prairie Fire` 19,367 100 blue-green
`Rostrahlbush` (not patented) 110 green `RR1` 17,994 120 blue-green
`Shenandoah` (not patented) 140 blue-green `Thundercloud` 20,665
275 blue-green `Totem Pole` 29,951 200 blue-green SEASON OF
SEASONAL CHANGE CULTIVAR COLOR BEGINNING HABIT `Apache Rose`
purple-tipped late July dense upright `Bad Hair Day` yellow-green
none upright `Blue Fountain` blue-green none upright `Cape Breeze`
purple-tipped late September compact upright `Cheyenne Sky` concord
purple early July very upright `Dallas Blues` purple-tipped late
September upright arching `Gunsmoke` blue-green none arching
upright `Haense Herms` red-purple early August upright `Heavy
Metal` blue-green none very upright `Hot Rod` red-purple early
spring upright `Niagara Falls` blue-green none upright `Northwind`
yellow-green September upright `Prairie Fire` deep wine early July
upright `Rostrahlbush` red-purple early August upright `RR1`
purple-red early July compact `Shenandoah` red-purple late July
arching `Thundercloud` blue-green none arching upright `Totem Pole`
blue-green none columnar
The new plant has a larger, more-defined, arching skirt than all of
the cultivars known to the inventor and in the above Table 1.
The following traits of Panicum `Niagara Falls`, in combination,
have been repeatedly observed in multiple generations of asexually
propagated plants and distinguish the new plant from all other
Switch Grass plants known to the inventor: 1. Broad blue-green
foliage that retains its coloration into the fall; 2. Upright and
dense culms producing medium height plants that do not lodge; 3.
Foliage is broadly arching, forming a broad skirt below flowers and
seed heads; 4. Broadly-spreading airy panicles beginning greyed
reddish-purple and becoming creamy-tan seed heads that are retained
into winter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance
of a six-year-old plant growing in an outdoor display garden in
Zeeland, Mich., 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.
FIG. 1 shows the overall plant in mid-season.
FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the inflorescence in late summer.
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, `Niagara
Falls`, has not been observed in 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 descriptions are of a six-year-old plant
in a loamy-sand trial garden of a wholesale perennial nursery in
Zeeland, Mich., USA, grown in full sun with supplemental water and
fertilizer as needed. Parentage: Female (seed parent) `Apache Rose`
times `Northwind` as the male (pollen parent); Propagation method:
By division of the culms; Time to finishing in a 3.8-liter pot:
Very rapid; about 6 to 8 weeks from 25 mm diameter plug; Rooting
habit: Normal, coarsely branching; root color nearest RHS 155D;
Plant description: Plant shape and habit: Hardy herbaceous
perennial forming tightly, rhizomatous and upright culms with
broadly arching foliage, topped with finely-textured airy
inflorescence producing a broad clump that is wider than it is
tall; Plant size: Foliage height at flowering time is about 98 cm
tall from the soil line to the top of the foliage arch and 108 cm
tall to the top of flowers; about 43 cm wide at the soil line and
about 134 cm at the widest point about 60 cm above the soil;
Foliage description: Glabrous, glaucous; linear; flat; margin with
microscopic marginal dentations; sheathed from the node of
attachment to ligule, adaxial and abaxial surfaces dull; strongly
arching; deciduous but persist through winter; Foliage size: To
about 74.5 cm long and to about 15 mm wide and about 56.5 cm long
without sheath; averaging with sheath about 60 cm long and 11.0 mm
wide; shorter at the proximal end; typically 5 leaves per culm;
Foliage color: Adaxial between RHS N138C and RHS 189A; abaxial
between RHS N138C and RHS 189B; winter adaxial surface more grey
than RHS 164D; winter abaxial surface between RHS 199D and RHS
164D; Veins: Parallel; midrib about 0.5 mm across; abaxial ridged,
adaxial slightly recessed; Vein color: Adaxial midrib in proximal 5
to 7 cm between RHS 189A and RHS 189B, adaxial secondary veins and
abaxial midribs and secondary veins indistinguishable and same
color as surrounding leaf; Culm: Erect; terete, hollow; glabrous;
glaucous; dull surface; about 75% enclosed by leaf sheath; about
120 culms per clump; Culm dimension: To about 67 cm long without
panicle, average about 60 cm; to about 4.5 mm diameter at base;
internode length average about 13 cm, shorter proximally; Culm
color: Variable; proximally under sheath nearest RHS 145D with an
undertone of nearest RHS N138D; mid-section nearest RHS 138A
without glaucous bloom and with glaucous bloom nearest RHS N138D;
distal portion nearest RHS 137B; Node description: About 5 per
culm, slightly swollen to about 5 mm diameter; Node color:
Variable; proximally between RHS 161A and RHS 164C, distally
nearest RHS 195A; Flower description: Finely-branched open panicle,
one panicle per culm; Flower timing: Beginning late August,
flowering into September, panicles dry and remain effective through
winter; No flower fragrance detected; Panicle: Ellipsoidal with
acute apex; to about 41.0 cm long and 17.0 cm wide near middle;
overall effective color variable, nearest RHS 160A to RHS 147C;
Rachis: Terete, branched, glabrous, glaucous; to about 32.0 cm long
and about 2.5 mm diameter at base; branches to about 17.5 cm long
and about 1.0 mm diameter held at about 70-degree angle above
horizontal; color nearest RHS N138B; Spikelet: Usually with two
florets; about 12 mm long; Rachilla: Thin, terete, stiff; to about
9 mm long and about 0.2 mm diameter; color nearest and RHS N138C;
Lower glume: About 3 mm long and 1 mm wide; without awn; color
nearest RHS 186B; Lemma: Without bristle; acute apex, truncate
base; margin entire; upper and lower each about 3 mm long and 0.5
mm wide; color between RHS 139D and RHS 160D; Palea: Acute apex,
truncate base, margin entire; about 2 mm long and 0.7 mm across;
translucent, nearest RHS 160D; Gynoecium: Two; Stigma.--Two,
plumose, protruding about 1.5 mm from glume and about 0.5 mm
diameter; color nearest RHS 165A. Style.--Thin; about 1 mm long and
0.1 mm diameter; color nearest RHS NN155A. Ovary.--Ellipsoidal;
acute apex, rounded base; about 2.5 mm long and 1 mm diameter;
color nearest RHS 148B. Androecium: Two or three;
Filaments.--Short; hair-like; up to 1.0 mm long and less than 0.1
mm diameter; color nearest RHS NN155D. Anthers.--Two; dorsifixed,
longitudinal; about 2.5 mm long and about 1 mm wide; color nearest
RHS N163A. Pollen.--Abundant; less than 0.1 mm in diameter; nearly
transparent, color lighter than RHS 155D. Fruit: Caryopsis; about
2.5 mm long and about 1 mm wide; color between RHS 161D and RHS
199D; Hardiness: At least from USDA zone 4 through 9; Growth: The
new plant is very drought once established and the stems are
resistant to lodging; Disease and pest resistance or
susceptibility: `Niagara Falls` has superior rust (Puccinia sp.)
resistance compared to `Northwinds`. Other disease resistance or
susceptibility beyond that typical of other Switch Grasses has not
been observed.
* * * * *