Sedum plant named ‘Xenox’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Sedum plant named ‘Xenox’, characterized by its upright and compact plant habit; freely basal branching growth habit; relatively short peduncles; and orange white to greyed yellow-colored flowers.

Description

Botanical designation: Sedum telephium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Xenox’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Sedum plant, botanically known as Sedum telephium, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Xenox’.

The new Sedum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rijpwetering, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new compact Sedum cultivars with uniform growth habit and attractive flower coloration.

The new Sedum originated from a chance cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2001 of two unknown seedling selections of Sedum telephium. The new Sedum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated chance cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Rijpwetering, The Netherlands in 2002.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in Rijpwetering, The Netherlands, since 2003, has shown that the unique features of this new Sedum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Xenox have 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 ‘Xenox’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Xenox’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

• • 1. Upright and compact plant habit.
  • 2. Freely basal branching growth habit.
  • 3. Relatively short peduncles.
  • 4. Orange white to greyed yellow-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Sedum can also be compared to plants of the Sedum telephinum cultivar Novem, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/141,555. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Rijpwetering, The Netherlands, plants of the new Sedum differed from plants of the cultivar Novem in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Sedum were more compact than plants of the cultivar Novem.
  • 2. Plants of the new Sedum and the cultivar Novem differed in flower coloration as plants of the cultivar Novem had purple-colored flowers.

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. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the actual colors of the new Sedum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Xenox’ grown in a container.

The photograph in the center of the sheet comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Xenox’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of the upper surface of a typical leaf of ‘Xenox’.

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. Plants used for the aforementioned photographs and following description were grown under conditions which closely approximate commercial production conditions during the late summer in an outdoor nursery in Rijpwetering, The Netherlands for about one year. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 14 to 32° C. and night temperatures ranged from 7 to 18° C.

• Botanical classification: Sedum telephium cultivar Xenox.
• Parentage:
  • • Female parent.—Unknown seedling selection of Sedum telephium, not patented.
    • Male parent.—Unknown seedling selection of Sedum telephium, not patented.
• Propagation:
  • • Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About three months at 18° C.
    • Root description.—Thick, fleshy; light brown in color.
    • Rooting habit.—Freely branching.
• Plant description:
  • • Form/growth habit.—Upright and compact plant form; inverted triangle. Freely basal branching, about five basal branches per plant; moderately vigorous growth habit. Numerous single flowers arranged in terminal and axillary cymes.
    • Plant height.—About 25 cm.
    • Plant width.—About 29 cm.
    • Branch description.—Length: About 10.2 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Internode length: About 5 cm. Strength: Moderately strong. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Smooth, glabrous; succulent. Color: 177A.
    • Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite, simple; sessile. Length: About 7.7 cm. Width: About 5.9 cm. Shape: Broadly ovate. Apex: Bluntly acute. Base: Cordate; clasping. Margin: Irregularly serrate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; succulent. Venation pattern: Pinnate; arcuate. Color: Developing foliage, upper surface: 200A; towards the base, 147A. Developing foliage, lower surface: 148A to 148B tinted with N186C. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 147A; towards the apex and margins, tinted with N186C; towards the base, 187B; venation, 187B. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 148B; towards the apex, tinted with 187A to 187B; venation, 148B.
• Flower description:
  • • Flower arrangement and shape.—Small single star-shaped flowers arranged in terminal and axillary compound cymes; cymes roughly hemispherical. Flowers face mostly upright. Freely flowering, about 110 flowers and flower buds per lateral branch.
    • Natural flowering season.—Flowering continuous from August through September in The Netherlands.
    • Flower longevity on the plant.—Individual last about two weeks on the plant. Flowers persistent.
    • Fragrance.—None detected.
    • Flower buds.—Length: About 3.5 mm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: 158B; towards the apex, 165B; towards the base, 148A.
    • Inflorescence diameter.—About 8.6 cm.
    • Inflorescence height.—About 6.5 cm.
    • Flowers.—Diameter: About 8 mm. Depth (height): About 4 mm.
    • Petals.—Arrangement: Five, fused at base. Length: About 3.5 mm. Width: About 1.5 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface: 159D to 160D. When opening and fully opened, lower surface: 184A; central band, 146B.
    • Calyx.—Arrangement: Five sepals fused at the base; campanulate. Length: About 1 mm. Diameter: About 0.7 mm. Sepal shape: Narrowly ovate. Sepal apex: Acute. Sepal texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Sepal color, upper and lower surfaces: 148A to 148B.
    • Peduncles.—Length: About 6.3 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Aspect: Erect to about 30° from vertical. Color: 177A.
    • Pedicels.—Length: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Aspect: Erect to about 45° from the stem axis. Color: 177A to 177B; heavily spotted, 148A.
    • Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower/arrangement: About ten; five stamens at base of petals; other five, free. Anther shape: Broadly oblong; flattened. Anther length: About 0.4 mm. Anther color: 8B to 8C tinted with 25B. Filament length: About 3 mm. Filament color: N155B. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 6C. Pistils: Quantity/arrangement: Five per flower; prominent; fused at the base; star-shaped. Pistil length: About 3 mm. Stigma shape: Rounded; minute. Stigma color: 181B. Style length: About 2.5 mm. Style color: 165D. Ovary color: 165D.
    • Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.
• Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Sedum have not been noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Sedum.
• Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Sedum have exhibited good tolerance to rain and wind and have been observed to tolerate temperatures from −10 to 35° C.

Claims

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