Chrysanthemum plant named `Ozenda`

Abstract

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named `Ozenda`, characterized by its spherical and mounded plant habit; moderate vigor and growth rate; decorative-type inflorescences with slight open center; light lavender ray florets; numerous inflorescences per plant; and good garden performance.

Description

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of garden Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora and referred to by the cultivar name Ozenda.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Staden, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program was to create new garden Chrysanthemum cultivars that are freely branching and have numerous and long-lasting inflorescences.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the inventor in 1993 of the nonpatented cultivar Veria Rose as the female, or seed, parent with the nonpatented cultivar Quick Marie as the male, or pollen, parent.

The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Staden, Belgium.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Staden, Belgium, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of `Ozenda`. These characteristics in combination distinguish `Ozenda` as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Spherical and mounded plant habit, moderate vigor and growth rate, and freely branching.

2. Decorative-type inflorescences with slight open center.

3. Light lavender ray florets.

4. Numerous inflorescences per plant.

5. Good garden performance.

The cultivar Ozenda has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

In side-by-side comparisons in Staden, Belgium, under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Veria Rose, in plant size, foliage color and inflorescence size. In the same comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the male parent, the cultivar Quick Marie, in ray floret color, inflorescence type and plant size.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to the cultivar Lynn (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,171). However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Lynn in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are spherical whereas plants of the cultivar Lynn are more upright and mounding.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more freely branching than plants of the cultivar Lynn.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger leaves but fewer leaves per lateral stem than plants of the cultivar Lynn.

4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are smaller but more numerous than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Lynn.

5. When opening, ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum have yellow apices and are paler in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Lynn.

6. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have weaker and longer peduncles than plants of the cultivar Lynn.

A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Lynn appears in Chart A at the end of the specification.

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.

The first photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering 16.5-cm container of `Ozenda` with five cuttings in the container.

The second photograph comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of the new Chrysanthemum.

The third photograph comprises a close-up view of five leaves at different stages of development and a fully opened inflorescence. Foliage and floret colors in the photographs may appear different from the actual colors due to light reflectance.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with night temperatures ranging between 14 and 20C, day temperatures ranging between 20 and 30C, and average light levels of 5,000 to 6,000 footcandles.

After sticking unrooted cuttings of the new cultivar, plants receives 4 weeks of long day/short nights followed by short day/long nights until flowering. Measurements and numerical values represent ranges or averages for six typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Ozenda.

Commercial classification: Garden chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.--Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Veria Rose (not patented).

Male, or pollen, parent.--Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Quick Marie (not patented).

Propagation:

Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.--10 to 12 days with soil temperatures of 20C.

Rooting habit.--Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.--Perennial herbaceous garden plant. Spherical and rounded growth habit. Moderate growth rate and vigor and freely branching.

Plant height.--About 18 cm.

Lateral branch length.--About 16 cm.

Quantity of lateral branches after removal of apical meristem.--About 6.

Stem color.--146C.

Foliage description.--Number of leaves per plant: About 53. Number of leaves per lateral branch: About 11. Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Leaf size, fully expanded: Length: About 5 cm. Width: About 4.2 cm. Leaf apex: Apiculate. Leaf base: Attenuate. Leaf margin: Palmately lobed. Leaf texture: Abaxial and adaxial surfaces slightly pubescent, smooth and dull. Veins prominent on abaxial surface. Petiole length: About 2.3 cm. Color: Young foliage adaxial surface: 147A. Young foliage abaxial surface: 147B. Fully expanded foliage adaxial surface: 147A. Fully expanded foliage abaxial surface: 147B. Venation adaxial surface: 147C. Venation abaxial surface: 147B. Petiole: 147C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.--Decorative button-type inflorescence form with slight open center. Inflorescences borne on terminals about foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a flat capitulum.

Flowering response.--Under natural conditions, plants flower in the autumn. Inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Plants exposed to 3 or 4 weeks of long day/short night conditions after sticking followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions, flower about 49 days later. Inflorescences maintain good substance for three weeks under bright natural daylight.

Quantity of inflorescences.--About 7 inflorescences per flowering stem.

Inflorescence size.--Diameter: About 3.4 cm. Depth (height): About 1.1 cm. Diameter of disc: About 3 mm.

Opening inflorescences.--Bud shape: Spherical. Bud size: Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 6 mm. Bud color: 75C.

Ray florets.--Shape: Oval. Size: Length: About 1.35 cm. Width: About 7 mm. Apex: Slightly dentate. Base: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Matte, smooth and glabrous. Aspect: Flat. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 120. Color: When opening, adaxial surface: 75D with yellow, 13C, apex. When opening, abaxial surface: 75C. Mature, adaxial surface: 76D. Mature, abaxial surface: 69D. Fading to: 69D.

Disc florets.--Shape: Tubular. Size: Length: About 4 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 12. Color: Immature: 154D. Mature: 154C.

Peduncle.--Aspect: Weak, angled about 35° to 40° to the stem. Length: First peduncle: About 3.7 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 5.6 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 137C.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anther color: 7A. Pollen: Moderate, 7A in color. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Style color: 2B.

Disease resistance: No known Chrysanthemum diseases observed to date on plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

CHART A
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CHARACTERISTIC `OZENDA`    `LYNN`
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PLANT SHAPE    Spherical,  Mounding
rounded
PLANT HEIGHT   About 18 cm About 21 cm
LATERAL STEM LENGTH
About 16 cm About 17 cm
QUANTITY OF LATERAL
About 6     About 3 to 4
BRANCHES AFTER
PINCHING
QUANTITY OF LEAVES
About 11    About 16
PER LATERAL BRANCH
LEAF LENGTH    About 5 cm  About 3.6 cm
LEAF WIDTH     About 4.2 cm
About 3.6 cm
LEAF APEX      Apiculate   Round, very slightly
apiculate
PETIOLE LENGTH About 2.3 cm
About 1.7 cm
YOUNG FOLIAGE COLOR,
147A        137A
ADAXIAL SURFACE
YOUNG FOLIAGE COLOR,
147B        137B
ABAXIAL SURFACE
MATURE FOLIAGE 147A        137A
COLOR, ADAXIAL
SURFACE
MATURE FOLIAGE 147B        137B
COLOR, ABAXIAL
SURFACE
QUANTITY OF    About 7     About 4 to 5
INFLORESCENCES PER
LATERIAL STEM
INFLORESCENCE FORM
Decorative  Decorative with slight
button with open center as
open center inflorescence develops
INFLORESCENCE  About 3.4 cm
About 4.2 cm
DIAMETER
INFLORESCENCE HEIGHT
About 1.1 cm
About 1.3 cm
BUD COLOR      75C         75A
RAY FLORET SHAPE
Oval        Obovate
RAY FLORET ASPECT
Flat        Edges curl upward
RAY FLORET LENGTH
About 1.35 cm
About 1.8 cm
RAY FLORET WIDTH
About 7 mm  About 6.5 mm
RAY FLORET COLOR
75D with yellow,
75B
WHEN OPENING,  13C, apex
ADAXIAL
RAY FLORET COLOR,
75C         75C
WHEN OPENING, ABAXIAL
RAY FLORET COLOR,
76D         75C
MATURE, ADAXIAL
RAY FLORET COLOR,
69D         75D
MATURE, ABAXIAL
RAY FLORET COLOR
69D         75D
FADING TO
NUMBER OF RAY  About 120   About 190
FLORETS PER
INFLORESCENCE
DISC FLORET COLOR,
154D        154C
IMMATURE
DISC FLORET COLOR,
154C        154C
MATURE
PEDUNCLE STRENGTH
Weak        Strong
PEDUNCLE ANGLE About 35 to 40°
About 45°
PEDUNCLE LENGTH,
About 3.7 cm
About 2.3 cm
FIRST
PEDUNCLE LENGTH,
About 5.6 cm
About 4.5 cm
FOURTH
PEDUNCLE COLOR 137C        137D
ANTHER COLOR   7A          14A
POLLEN COLOR   7A          14A
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Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named `Ozenda`, as illustrated and described.