Chrysanthemum plant named `Yoroxanne`

Abstract

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named `Yoroxanne`, characterized by its uniformly mounded, dense and relatively compact plant habit; glossy dark green leaves; decorative-type inflorescences that are about 4.6 cm in diameter; attractive white ray florets with purple apices; numerous inflorescences per plant.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

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

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms and floret colors and good garden performance.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor in January, 1993, of the Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Lynn (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,171) as the female, or seed, parent with an unidentified proprietary seedling selection as the male, or pollen, parent.

The cultivar Yoroxanne was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif., in May, 1994. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form and ray floret color.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif., has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yoroxanne 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.

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

1. Uniformly mounded, dense and relatively compact plant habit.

2. Glossy dark green leaves.

3. Decorative-type inflorescences that are about 4.6 cm in diameter.

4. Attractive white ray florets with purple apices.

5. Numerous inflorescences per plant.

The new Chrysanthemum is similar to the Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Empire Spotlight, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,933. However in side-by-side comparisons under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Empire Spotlight in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about ten days later than plants of the cultivar Empire Spotlight under natural season conditions.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have slightly smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Empire Spotlight.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new cultivar. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of `Yoroxanne`. This photograph shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Floret and foliage colors in the photograph may differ from the actual colors due to light reflectance.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

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 Leamington, Ontario, Canada, under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial garden Chrysanthemum production. One rooted cutting was planted in a 15-cm container on Jul. 20, 1998 and plants were grown outdoors under natural season conditions. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering containers.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Yoroxanne.

Commercial classification: Decorative-type garden chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female or seed parent.--Dendrantema grandiflora cultivar Lynn, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,171.

Male or pollen parent.--Unidentified proprietary seedling selection.

Propagation:

Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.--Seven to ten days with soil temperatures of 21°C

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

Plant description:

Appearance.--Perennial herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum. Inverted triangle. Stems initially upright, then outwardly spreading giving a uniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching with lateral branches potentially developing at every node when pinched, about 10 laterals develop.

Plant height.--About 25 cm.

Plant spread.--About 42 cm.

Foliage description.--Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 5.5 cm. Width: About 4.1 cm. Apex: Cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses parallel to divergent. Texture: Upper surface sparsely pubescent; lower surface moderately pubescent. Veins prominent on lower surface. Petiole length: About 1.8 cm. Petiole diameter: About 2.5 mm. Color: Young foliage upper surface: Darker than 147A, glossy. Young foliage lower surface: 147A. Mature foliage upper surface: Darker than 147A, glossy. Mature foliage lower surface: Darker than 147B. Venation upper surface: 147A. Venation lower surface: 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.--Decorative-type inflorescence form with oblong to spatulate-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. One inflorescence per terminal with numerous inflorescences per plant, about 9 per lateral stem.

Flowering response.--Under natural season conditions, plants flower in early October in the Northern Hemisphere about 82 days after planting, and flower for at least three weeks depending on weather conditions.

Inflorescence bud (before showing color).--Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Phyllary color: Close to 147A.

Inflorescence size.--Diameter: About 4.6 cm. Depth (height): About 1.7 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2.5 mm.

Ray florets.--Shape: Oblong. Length: About 2.2 cm. Width: About 7 mm. Apex: Dentate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Orientation: Initially upright, then horizontal. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: Typically more than 200. Color: When opening: Upper surface: Creamy white, close to 6D to 2D; towards the apex, purple, close to 71A; iridescent. Lower surface: Creamy white, close to 6D to 2D; towards the apex, purple, close to 71A. Opened inflorescence: Upper surface: White, 155D, with purple, close to 71A, towards the apex; iridescent. Lower surface: White, 155D, with purple, close to 71A, towards the apex.

Disc florets.--Shape: Tubular, apex dentate. Length: About 4 mm. Width: Apex: About 1 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: Typically about eight. Color: Immature: 154A. Mature: Apex: 13A. Mid-section and base; Greenish white.

Peduncle.--Aspect: Flexible, angled about 50° to the stem. Length: First peduncle: About 5.8 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 7.2 cm. Diameter: About 2.25 mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 147A.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anther color: 9A. Pollen: Scarce. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets.

Disease resistance: Resistance to known Chrysanthemum diseases has not been observed on plants grown under commercial production conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

Claims

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