Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum X morifolium.
Cultivar denomination: ‘COMO RED’.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum X morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘COMO RED’.
The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniformly mounding and freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.
The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in October, 2012 in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum X morifolium identified as code number GE06 8796, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum X morifolium identified as code number GE07 9359, 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 Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2013.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative terminal cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2014. Asexual reproduction by vegetative terminal cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Como Red’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Como Red’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:
- 1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit.
- 2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.
- 3. Dark green-colored leaves.
- 4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
- 5. Long flowering period.
- 6. Decorative-type inflorescences with dark red-colored ray florets.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:
- 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more uniformly rounded than plants of the female parent selection.
- 2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more vigorous than plants of the female parent selection.
- 3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about four to five weeks later than plants of the female parent selection.
- 4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are dark red in color whereas ray florets of plants of the female parent selection are dark violet in color.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:
- 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more uniformly rounded than plants of the male parent selection.
- 2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about three weeks later than plants of the male parent selection.
- 3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more intensely dark red than ray florets of plants of the male parent selection.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Gedi Two Cam’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,472. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of ‘Gedi Two Cam’ in the following characteristics:
- 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more vigorous than plants of ‘Gedi Two Cam’.
- 2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about three weeks later than plants of ‘Gedi Two Cam’.
- 3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are smaller than inflorescences of plants of ‘Gedi Two Cam’.
- 4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more intensely dark red than ray florets of plants of ‘Gedi Two Cam’.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH
The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.
The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Como Red’ grown in a container.
DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer and autumn and under cultural practices generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 20° C. to 25° C. and night temperatures ranged from 12° C. to 18° C. Plants were 20 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, 2007, Fifth Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.
- Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Como Red’.
- Parentage:
- Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum X morifolium identified as code number GE06 8796, not patented.
- Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum X morifolium identified as code number GE07 9359, not patented.
- Propagation:
- Type cutting.—By vegetative tip cuttings.
- Time to initiate roots, summer.—About two weeks at temperatures about 20° C.
- Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at temperatures about 20° C.
- Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days at temperatures about 20° C.
- Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days at temperatures about 20° C.
- Root description.—Fine, fibrous; typically light brown in color, actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation, substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.
- Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density.
- Plant description:
- Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded appearance to the plant; plants roughly spherical; very freely branching habit, about 25 primary lateral branches develop, each primary lateral branch with multiple secondary branches; pinching enhances lateral branch development; dense and full plant habit; vigorous growth habit; plants flexible, not brittle.
- Plant height.—About 35 cm.
- Plant width.—About 50 cm.
- Lateral branches.—Length: About 25 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Internode length: About 2.5 cm. Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture: Pubescent, fine; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to 144A.
- Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 3 cm to 4.5 cm. Width: About 2 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly pubescent. Venation: Palmately reticulate. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137C. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137D. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137C; venation, close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petioles: Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly pubescent; rough. Color, upper surface: Close to 146C. Color, lower surface: Close to 146D. Stipules: Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly pubescent; rough. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 137A.
- Inflorescence description:
- Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form; inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.
- Fragrance.—Slightly fragrant, pungent.
- Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower in late September in Belgium; flowering response time, about 35 days.
- Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color and substance for about 35 days in an outdoor nursery; inflorescences persistent.
- Quantity of inflorescences.—About 20 inflorescences develop per lateral branch.
- Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 1 cm. Shape: Globular. Color: Close to 59A.
- Inflorescence diameter.—About 4 cm.
- Inflorescence depth (height).—About 3 cm.
- Disc diameter.—About 5 mm; inconspicuous.
- Receptacle diameter.—About 3 mm.
- Receptacle height.—About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.
- Receptacle color.—Close to 144B.
- Ray florets.—Length: About 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm. Width: About 5 mm. Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; matte. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 150 arranged in about eight whorls. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface: Close to 53A; color becoming closer to 185B with development. When opening and fully opened, lower surface: Close to 185B; color does not change with development.
- Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to 1 mm. Shape: Tubular; apices acute. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 75 to 100 massed at the center of the inflorescence. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; glossy. Color, immature: Distally, close to 144C; mid-section, close to 5B; proximally, close to 145D. Color, mature: Close to 12A.
- Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25 arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm. Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded. Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface: Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.
- Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 4 cm. Length, fourth peduncle: About 6 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About 8 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical. Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent. Color: Close to 146B.
- Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium: Not observed.
- Seeds and fruits.—To date seed and fruit production have not been observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum.
- Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C.
Patent Grant
PP30391
