Aster plant named ‘Esmbrasil’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of cut flower Aster plant named ‘Esmbrasil’, characterized by its strong and erect flowering stems; symmetrical branching habit with long lateral branches; dark green-colored foliage; early, uniform and freely flowering habit; daisy-type inflorescences with purple-colored ray florets; flat and straight ray florets; and excellent postproduction longevity.

Description

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Aster hybrida cultivar Esmbrasil.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of cut flower Aster plant, botanically known as Aster hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Esmbrasil’.

The new Aster is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador. The objective of the breeding program is to create new cut flower Aster cultivars with durable leaves, strong and long stems, desirable floret colors and good postproduction longevity.

The new Aster originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador in August, 1999, of a proprietary Aster selection identified as Line 8, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown Aster selection, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Aster was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador. The selection of this plant was based on its durable foliage, strong and long stems and desirable inflorescence form and attractive ray floret color.

Asexual reproduction of the new Aster by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador in August, 2000. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Aster are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

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

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

• • 1. Strong and erect flowering stems.
  • 2. Symmetrical branching habit with long lateral branches.
  • 3. Dark green-colored foliage.
  • 4. Early, uniform and freely flowering habit.
  • 5. Daisy-type inflorescences with purple-colored ray florets.
  • 6. Flat and straight ray florets.
  • 7. Excellent postproduction longevity.

Plants of the new Aster can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Aster differ from plants of the female parent selection in plant height as plants of the new Aster are taller than plants of the female parent selection. In addition, plants of the new Aster and the female parent selection differ in ray floret coloration as plants of the female parent selection have white-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Aster can be compared to plants of the cultivar Claudia, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador plants of the new Aster differed from plants of the cultivar Claudia in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Aster were taller and broader than plants of the cultivar Claudia.
  • 2. Plants of the new Aster had thicker lateral branches than plants of the cultivar Claudia.
  • 3. Plants of the new Aster had longer internodes than plants of the cultivar Claudia.
  • 4. Plants of the new Aster had longer and broader leaves than plants of the cultivar Claudia.
  • 5. Plants of the new Aster were much more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Claudia.
  • 6. Plants of the new Aster had larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Claudia.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Aster showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Aster.

The photograph at the top of the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering stem of ‘Esmbrasil’.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Esmbrasil’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the summer in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador, in an outdoor nursery and under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial cut flower Aster production. During the production of these plants, day temperatures ranged from 12 to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 5 to 12° C. Plants were about four to six months from planting rooted young plants when the photographs and the botanical description were taken.

• Botanical classification: Aster hybrida cultiver Esmbrasil.
• Parentage:
  • • Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Aster hybrida selection identified as Line 8, not patented.
    • Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown Aster hybrida selection, not patented.
• Propagation:
  • • Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.
    • Time to initiate roots.—About 12 to 16 days at 17 to 25° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About 21 to 25 days at 17 to 25° C.
    • Root description.—Fine, fibrous; 161C in color.
    • Rooting habit.—Freely branching.
• Plant description:
  • • Appearance.—Herbaceous daisy-type cut flower Aster. Flowering stems upright and strong. Vigorous. Symmetrical branching habit with long lateral branches.
    • Plant height.—About 136 cm.
    • Plant width.—About 34 cm.
    • Lateral branches.—Quantity per plant: About 22. Length: About 65 cm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm. Internode length: About 3.4 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, pubescent; waxy. Color: 144B.
    • Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple; sessile. Length: About 15.2 cm. Width: About 1.8 cm. Shape: Linear to lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Sheathed; lobes, attenuate. Margin: Minutely and sparsely dentate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth; waxy. Color: Developing foliage, upper surface: 137A. Developing foliage, lower surface: 137A to 147A. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137A to 147A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137C. Venation, upper surface: 146B. Venation, lower surface: 146C.
• Inflorescence description:
  • • Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with narrowly elliptic-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences terminal or axillary. Disc and ray florets develop acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent. Inflorescences face mostly upright. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
    • Flowering response.—Plants flower year-round in Ecuador. Plants begin flowering about 15 to 16 weeks after planting.
    • Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color and substance for about two weeks as a cut flower and about 25 days on the plant.
    • Quantity of inflorescences.—About 36 inflorescences develop per lateral branch.
    • Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6.5 mm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Shape: Nearly globose. Color: 137A to 137C.
    • Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.4 cm. Depth (height): About 1.2 cm. Diameter of disc: About 1.3 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 1 cm. Receptacle height: About 7 mm.
    • Ray florets.—Number of ray florets per inflorescence/arrangement: About 42 in arranged in about two or three whorls. Length: About 1.7 cm. Width: About 4 mm. Shape: Narrowly elliptic. Apex: Acute to obtuse with emarginations. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Orientation: Initially upright, then mostly horizontal. Aspect: Mostly straight. Color: When opening, upper surface: N78D to N80D. When opening, lower surface: N80B. Fully opened, upper surface: N80B to N80D; color becoming closer to 76B with development. Fully opened, lower surface: 84A.
    • Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 42. Length: About 7 mm. Diameter, apex: About 3 mm. Diameter, base: About 0.8 mm. Shape: Tubular, salverform, elongated. Apex: Five lobes; lobes acute. Color, immature: 153C. Color, mature: Apex: 151B. Mid-section and base: 149D to 150D.
    • Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 43. Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Shape: Narrowly triangular. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface: 137B. Color, lower surface: 144B.
    • Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 8 mm. Length, fourth peduncle: About 1 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About 1.6 cm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Aspect: Erect to about 31° from vertical. Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 137C.
    • Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Quantity of stamens per disc floret: Four. Anther shape: Linear. Anther length: About 1.3 mm. Anther color: 12A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 12A. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Quantity per floret: One. Pistil length: About 9 mm. Stigma shape: Bilobed; lobes linear. Stigma color: 1D to 154D. Style length: About 6.9 mm. Style color: 1D to 154D. Ovary color: 149D to 157A.
    • Seed.—Length: With pappus, about 5 mm; without pappus, about 3 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Color: Dried, 199A.
• Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Asters has not been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.
• Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Aster have been observed to tolerate temperatures from about 7 to about 30° C.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of cut flower Aster plant named ‘Esmbrasil’, as illustrated and described.