Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Hercules’

Abstract

A chyrsanthemum plant named ‘Hercules’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with red ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date August 18-23; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Hercules’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around August 18-23; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant ‘Hercules’ is a seedling resulting from the open pollination among groups of chrysanthemum cultivars maintained under the control of the inventor for breeding purposes. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout Holland in August 2001. The seedling resulted from the crossing of the female parent, 22.0296, with a mixed population of chrysanthemum plants serving as male parents. The plant has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in greenhouses at Rijsenhout Holland. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom and foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, Holland under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2002. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 18-23 (week 34). The average height of the plants was 30 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with red ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Hercules’ is ‘Dark Grenadine’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,632). When ‘Dark Grenadine’ and ‘Hercules’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘Dark Grenadine’ and ‘Hercules’ are (1) Flower size. The flowers of ‘Dark Grenadine’ are larger in size than those of ‘Hercules’ (2) Color ray florets. The ray florets of ‘Dark Grenadine’ are less red than ‘Hercules’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Hercules’ as a new and distinct variety.

The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

TABLE 1

Botanical Description of cultivar ‘Hercules’


Bud
Size                       Small; cross-section 1 cm, height 1 cm
Outside color              Yellow-green 147D
Involucral bracts          2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm
Involucral bracts among    Not present
disc-florets
Involucral bracts color    Green 138A
Bloom
Type                       Decorative
Size                       Medium
Fully expanded             5 cm
Peduncle length            5 cm
Peduncle color             Yellow-green 148B
Number of blooms per       Approx. 12 blooms per branch
branch
Performance on the plant   5 weeks
Seeds                      Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-
                           brown 199A, 1½ mm in length.
Fragrance                  Typical chrysanthemum, slightly
Color
Center of the flower       Immature Red 46A
                           Mature Red 46A
Color of upper surface of  Red 46C
the ray-florets
Color of the lower surface Orange-red 34C
of the ray-florets
Tonality from distance     A garden mum with red flowers
Color of ray florets after Red 46D
aging of the flowers
Ray florets
Texture                    Upper and under side smooth
Number                     250
Cross-section              Flat
Longitudinal axis of       Straight
majority
Length of corolla tube     0.2 cm
Ray-floret margin          Entire
Ray-floret length          2 cm
Ray-floret width           0.6 cm
Ratio length/width         Medium
Shape of tip               Rounded
Disc florets               Absent
Receptacle shape           Domed raised
Reproductive Organs
Stamen                     Absent
Pollen                     Not produced
Styles                     Thick
Style color                Yellow 13A
Style length               4 mm
Stigma color               Yellow-green 144A
Stigma width               1 mm
Ovaries                    Enclosed in calyx
Plant
Form                       A garden mum outdoor mounded and round
Growth habit               Compact and spreading
Growth rate                Strong
Height                     30 cm
Width                      40 cm
Stem color                 Yellow-green 148A with streaks of Greyed-
                           red 181C
Stem strength              Strong
Stem brittleness           Not brittle
Stem anthocyanin           Present
Coloration
Internode length           2.5 cm
Length of lateral branch   From top to bottom 19 cm
Lateral branch color       Yellow-green 148A
Lateral branch, attachment Strong
Branching (average number  Good with 10 breaks after pinching
of lateral branches)
Natural season blooming    August 18-23
date
Foliage
Leaf color                 Upper side Yellow-green 147A
                           Under side Green 138B
Color midvein              Upper side Green 138C
                           Under side Yellow-green 148C
Size                       Medium; length 5.5 cm, width 3.3 cm
Quantity (number per       15-18
lateral branch)
Shape                      Cordiform
Texture upper side         Glabrous
Texture under side         Pubescent
Venation arrangement       Palmate
Shape of the margin        Serrated
Shape of base of sinus     Rounded
Between lateral lobes
Margin of sinus between    Diverging
lateral lobes
Shape of base              Obtuse
Apex                       Mucronate
Petiole length             1 cm
Petiole color              Green 138C

TABLE 2
Differences with the comparison variery
	‘Hercules’	‘Dark Grenadine’
	Flower size	5 cm	7 cm
	Color ray florets	Red 46C	Greyed-red 179A

Claims

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated.