Geranium plant named ‘Guinost’

A new and distinct cultivar of Geranium plant named ‘Guinost’, characterized by its compact and upright plant habit; slightly zoned and small leaves; numerous long-lasting dark hot pink-colored semi-double to double flowers; basal branching; high yield of cuttings; early flowering; continuous flowering throughout the summer; and foliage tolerant to rain, wind and stress conditions.

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Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Geranium plant, botanically known as Pelargonium peltatum, and herinafter referred to by the cultivar name Guinost.

The new Geranium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in St. Malo, France. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new early-flowering cultivars with interesting and unique flower colors.

The new Geranium orignated from a cross made by the Inventors of the proprietary Pelargonium peltatum selection code number 85 as the male, or pollen parent, with the Pelargonium peltatum cultivar Pico, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent in 1989. The cultivar Guinost was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in St. Malo, France, in 1989.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at St. Malo, France, has shown that the unique features of this new Geranium are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

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

1. Compact and upright plant habit.

2. Slightly zoned and small leaves.

3. Numerous long-lasting dark hot pink-colored semi-double to double flowers.

4. Basal branching; high yield of cuttings.

5. Early flowering; flowering continuous throughout the summer.

6. Foliage tolerant to rain, wind and stress conditions.

The new Geranium can be compared to the female parent, the cultivar Pico. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in St. Malo, France, plants of the new Geranium differ from plants of the cultivar Pico in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Geranium are more compact than plants of the cultivar Pico.

2. Plants of the new Geranium are less vigorous than plants of the cultivar Pico.

3. Plants of the new Geranium flower earlier than plants of the cultivar Pico.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

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 photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical plant of ‘Guinost’.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of upper (left) and lower (right) surfaces of typical leaves of ‘Guinost’. Flower and foliage colors in the photographs may appear different from the actual colors due to light reflectance. Both the plants used in the photographs and the plants described in the detailed botanical description were about 7 to 9 weeks in age, and grown under the same environmental conditions as described below.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The cultivar Guinost 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 observations, measurements and comparisons describe plants grown 14-cm pots in St. Malo, France, under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with day temperatures about 20° C., night temperatures about 18° C. and light levels generally about 450 W/m2. 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.

Botanical classification: Pelargonium peltatum cultivar Guinost.

Parentage:

Male parent.—Proprietary Pelargonium peltatum selection code number 85.

Female parent.—Pelargonium peltatum cultivar Pico, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 10 days with 20° C. Winter: About 12 days with 18° C.

Rooting habit.—Strong, fibrous and freely branching.

Plant description:

General appearance.—Compact; upright and rounded growth habit. Typically grown in 10.5 to 15-cm containers.

Crop time.—Starting with a rooted cutting, about seven weeks are required to produced a finished flowering plant in 12-cm container.

Vigor/growth rate.—Moderately vigorous and rapid growth rate.

Plant height (to top of foliage).—About 18 to 22 cm.

Plant width.—Maximum, about 30 cm.

Branching habit.—Freely branching with about six lateral branches at the base; pinching is typically not required.

Lateral branch length.—About 16 to 20 cm.

Foliage description.—Leaves simple, generally symmetrical, abundant, opposite. Length: About 4.5 to 7 cm. Width: About 4.5 to 7 cm. Shape: Peltate, palmately lobed. Venation: Palmate. Texture: Both surfaces pubescent. Aspect: Undulating towards margin. Durability: Leaves very tolerant to rain, wind and stress conditions. Cuttings withstand transport well. Petiole length: About 4 to 6.5 cm. Petiole diameter: About 2 mm. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: 137A. Young foliage, lower surface: 138A. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137B with slight zonation pattern, darker than 147A, about 7 to 10 mm in width and about 1 cm from margin. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 138A to 138B. Petiole: 144A to 144B.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Dark hot pink-colored flowers. Freely and continuously flowering. Flowers arranged in hemispherical umbels arising from apical leaf axils. Umbels displayed above the foliage. Flowers semi-double to double and rounded. Umbels persistent. Flowers last about 2 to 3 weeks on the plant; self-cleaning. Not fragrant.

Flowering season.—Year-round under greenhouse conditions. In the garden, flowering is continuous from April to mid-September in the Northern Hemisphere.

Umbels.—Number of flowers per umbel: About 12. Diameter: About 8 cm. Height: About 4 to 5 cm.

Flowers.—Diameter: About 4 to 5 cm. Depth (height): About 2 cm.

Flower buds.—Length: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 5 to 8 mm. Shape: Elongated ovoid.

Petals/petaloids.—Quantity: About 10 petals and about two to five smaller petaloids per flower. Arangement: Imbricate. Petal length: About 2.3 to 2.6 cm. Petal width: About 1.3 to 1.8 cm. Petaloid length: About 2 to 2.5 cm. Petaloid width: About 1.2 to 1.5 cm. Shape: Upper petals and petaloids: Obtuse. Lower petals: Obovate. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed. Texture: Smooth, satiny. Color, fully opened flowers: Upper petals, upper surface: Close to 68A very weak slightly darker pink veins; elongated spot, close to 61B. Upper petals, lower surface: Close to 61D. Lower petals, upper surface: Close to 68A; very weak slightly darker pink veins. Lower petals, lower surface: Close to 61D. Petaloid color, upper surface: Close to 71D. Petaloid color, lower surface: Close to 63D.

Sepals.—Quantity: About 5, not imbricate. Length: About 1.2 to 1.4 cm. Width: About 5 to 7 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Apiculate. Margin: Entire. Color: Light green with occasionally strong, purple anthocyanin flush.

Peduncle (umbel stem).—Length: About 7 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Angle: Erect. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Light green with antocyanin purple flush.

Pedicel (individual flower stem).—Length: About 2 to 2.5 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Angle: Between 45 and 90° to peduncle. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Medium to light green with occasional strong reddish flush.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Quantity of stamens: About five to seven. Anther size: About 3 to 4 mm. Anther color: 72A. Pollen color: Close to 35A. Gynoecium: Quantity of pistils: One. Pistil length: About 6 mm. Style length: About 4 mm. Stigma shape: Five-parted. Stigma color: 59B. Style color: Greenish to yellow to light pink. Ovary color: Green.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Pelargonium has not been observed.

Seed development: Seed production has not been observed.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Geranium plant named ‘Guinost’, as illustrated and described.

Patent History
Patent number: PP12810
Type: Grant
Filed: May 27, 1999
Date of Patent: Jul 30, 2002
Assignee: Ets. Quillan Freres (St. Malo)
Inventors: Bernard Guillou (St. Malo), Jacques Guillou (St. Malo), Maurice Guillou (St. Malo)
Primary Examiner: Bruce R. Campell
Assistant Examiner: Michelle Kizilkaya
Attorney, Agent or Law Firm: C. A. Whealy
Application Number: 09/320,928
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Ivy Leaf (PLT/332)
International Classification: A01H/500;