Anthurium plant named `Sweet Love`

Abstract

A distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant named `Sweet Love`, characterized by its tall, upright, outwardly arching and freely branching plant habit; medium green leaves that are glossy and cordate in shape; numerous inflorescences that are positioned high above the foliage on long, strong and erect scapes; broad salmon-pink spathes with truncate base; and good post-production longevity.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthurium andreanum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name `Sweet Love`.

The new Anthurium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Schipluiden, The Netherlands. The objective of the program is to create new Anthurium cultivars that have a freely branching growth habit, strong plant growth, medium leaf size, rapid growth rate, strong roots, attractive spathe color, numerous influorescences and good post-production longevity. The new cultivar originated from a self-pollination by the inventor in 1992 of the inventor's proprietary Anthurium andreanum selection code number 924. The cultivar `Sweet Love` was discovered and selected by the inventor as a plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Schipluiden, The Netherlands.

Asexual propagation by tissue culture of the new cultivar at Schipluiden, The Netherlands, has shown that the unique features of this new Anthurium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new Anthurium has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature 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 `Sweet Love`. These characteristics in combination distinguish `Sweet Love` as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Tall, upright, outwardly arching and freely branching growth habit.

2. Medium green leaves that are glossy and cordate in shape.

3. Numerous inflorescences that are positioned high above the foliage on long, strong and erect scapes.

4. Broad salmon-pink spathes with truncate base.

5. Good post-production longevity.

The new Anthurium can be compared to its parent cultivar, the proprietary selection code number 924. Besides differing in leaf and spathe shape, plants of the new Anthurium are different from plants of selection code number 924 in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the cultivar `Sweet Love` have shorter petioles and smaller leaves than plants of the selection code number 924.

2. Spathe color of plants of the cultivar `Sweet Love` is salmon-pink whereas spathe color of plants of the selection code number 924 is red.

The new Anthurium can also be compared to plants of its sibling, the cultivar `Eveline`, disclosed in U.S. Plant Patent application Ser. No. 09/006,828. Plants of the new Anthurium are different from plants of the cultivar `Eveline` in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Anthurium have shorter internodes and thinner stems than plants of the cultivar `Eveline`.

2. Plants of the new Anthurium have smaller and lighter green leaves than plants of the cultivar `Eveline`.

3. Plants of the new Anthurium have shorter and thinner petioles than plants of the cultivar `Eveline`.

4. Plants of the new Anthurium have smaller spathes than plants of the cultivar `Eveline`.

5. Plants of the new Anthurium have shorter and thinner scapes than plants of the cultivar `Eveline`.

6. Plants of the new Anthurium have salmon pink-colored spathes whereas plants of the cultivar `Eveline` have red-colored spathes.

The new Anthurium can be compared to the Anthurium cultivar `Sugar Love` (U.S. Plant Patent application Ser. No. 09/007,032). Besides leaf shape, plants of the new Anthurium differ from plants of the cultivar Sugar Love in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the cultivar `Sweet Love` are much taller and larger than plants of the cultivar `Sugar Love`.

2. Plants of the cultivar `Sweet Love` have longer spadices and scapes than plants of the cultivar `Sugar Love`.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates 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 photograph comprises a top perspective view of a typical potted plant of `Sweet Love`. Leaf and flower colors in the photographs may appear different 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 Schipluiden, The Netherlands, in a glass greenhouse with an average day temperature of 25.degree. C. and an average night temperature of 19.degree. C.

Botanical classification: Anthurium andreanum cultivar `Sweet Love`.

Parentage:

Seed or female parent.--Inventor's proprietary Anthurium andreanum selection code number 924.

Pollen or male parent.--Inventor's proprietary Anthurium andreanum selection code number 924.

Propagation:

Method.--By tissue culture.

Time to initiate roots.--70 and 84 days at 24.degree. C. and 21.degree. C. temperatures, respectively.

Rooting habit.--Freely branching, numerous and very strong fleshy roots.

Plant description:

Plant shape.--Upright, inverted triangle, symmetrical.

Growth habit.--Erect when young, becoming outwardly arching as leaves develop. Freely branching, bushy and dense. Appropriate for 12 to 30-cm containers.

Plant height.--About 90 cm from soil level to apex of spathes.

Plant vigor.--High.

Growth rate.--Moderate.

Crop time.--About 16 to 17 months are usually required from planting of a young plant to a finished plant.

Stem description.--Diameter: About 1.5 cm. Internode length: About 1 cm.

Foliage description.--Length: About 17 cm. Width: About 13 cm. Shape: Cordate. Apex: Apiculate. Base: Auriculate, deeply lobed, not overlapping. Margin: Entire, undulating. Texture: Leathery, flexible, smooth, glabrous, glossy. Surface: Rugose, wavy, prominent midvein. Angle with respect to petiole: Horizontal. Color: Upper surface: 137B. Lower surface: 144A. Petiole: Length: About 40 cm. Diameter: About 4.5 mm. Cross-section: Rounded. Color: 144B.

Influorescence description:

Influorescence arrangement.--Spathe with spadix held above the foliage. Flowering structures arise from leaf axils. Freely flowering, numerous influorescences per plant.

Inflorescence longevity.--Spathe/spadix last about six weeks under winter conditions and up to three or four months under summer conditions; inflorescences persistent.

Flowers.--Quantity of flowers per spadix: Numerous, at least 13 flowers on the middle 2-cm portion of the spadix. Shape: Rounded. Diameter: About 1 mm.

Spathe.--Length: About 8 cm. Width: About 10.5 cm. Height above foliage: About 20 cm. Shape: Broadly cordate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Truncate, shallow lobing, not overlapping. Margin: Entire, flat to slightly rolling inward. Texture: Leathery, glabrous, somewhat glossy. Surface: Slightly wavy. Angle with respect to scape: Perpendicular. Color: Front surface: 39B. Back surface: 41C. Margin: 143A, very slightly at base of margin.

Spadix.--Length: About 7.5 cm. Diameter: About 9 mm. Shape: Columnar. Cross section: Rounded. Longitudinal axis: Bent before flowering. Color, just before flowering: Base: Creamy white. Apex: 11A.

Scape.--Length: About 60 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Aspect: Strong and erect. Color: Green, 144A, with slight anthocyanin at distal end.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Pollen color: Cream white. Gynoecium: Stigma shape: Ovoid. Ovary: Protogyneous.

Disease resistance: Plants of the new Anthurium have demonstrated good tolerance to root pathogens common to Anthuriums.

Seed development: Seed development is rarely observed.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant named `Sweet Love`, as illustrated and described.