plant named ‘Crimson Princess’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Lobelia plant named ‘Crimson Princess’, characterized by its upright and compact plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy plant form; freely flowering habit; long flowering period; dark red purple-colored flowers; and good garden performance.

Description

Botanical designation: Lobelia speciosa.

Cultivar denomination: ‘CRIMSON PRINCESS’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lobelia plant, botanically known as Lobelia speciosa and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Crimson Princess’.

The new Lobelia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Langford, Maldon, Essex, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact and uniform Lobelia plants with numerous attractive flowers.

The new Lobelia plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2008 of two proprietary seedling selections of Lobelia speciosa, not patented. The new Lobelia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Langford, Maldon, Essex, United Kingdom in 2009.

Asexual reproduction of the Lobelia plant by vegetative cuttings in Hillegom, The Netherlands since the summer of 2009 has shown that the unique features of this new Lobelia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Lobelia have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions 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 ‘Crimson Princess’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Crimson Princess’ as a new and distinct Lobelia plant:

• • 1. Upright and compact plant habit.
  • 2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.
  • 3. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy plant form.
  • 4. Freely flowering habit.
  • 5. Long flowering period.
  • 6. Dark red purple-colored flowers.
  • 7. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Lobelia differ primarily, from plants of the parent selections in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Lobelia are more compact than plants of the parent selections.
  • 2. Plants of the new Lobelia grow more uniformly than plants of the parent selections.
  • 3. Plants of the new Lobelia have darker-colored leaves than plants of the parent selections.
  • 4. Plants of the new Lobelia are more freely flowering than plants of the parent selections.

Plants of the new Lobelia can be compared to plants of Lobelia speciosa ‘Fan Scarlet’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Langford, Maldon, Essex, United Kingdom, plants of the new Lobelia differed from plants of ‘Fan Scarlet’ in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Lobelia were more compact than plants of ‘Fan Scarlet’.
  • 2. Plants of the new Lobelia grew more uniformly than plants of ‘Fan Scarlet’.
  • 3. Plants of the new Lobelia and ‘Fan Scarlet’ differed in leaf color.
  • 4. Plants of the new Lobelia were more freely flowering than plants of ‘Fan Scarlet’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

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

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Crimson Princess’ grown in an outdoor nursery.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used for the aforementioned photograph and following description were grown during the summer in ground beds in an outdoor nursery in Vogelenzang, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial Lobelia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 28° C. and night temperatures ranged from 8° C. to 18° C. Plants were two years old when the photograph and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

• Botanical classification: Lobelia speciosa ‘Crimson Princess’.
• Parentage:
  • • Female, or seed, parent.—Unnamed proprietary seedling selection of Lobelia speciosa, not patented.
    • Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed proprietary seedling selection of Lobelia speciosa, not patented.
• Propagation:
  • • Type cutting.—In vitro propagation.
    • Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at temperatures about 20° C.
    • Time to initiate roots, winter.—About twelve days at temperatures about 20° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About four weeks at temperatures about 18° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About five weeks at temperatures about 20° C.
    • Root description.—Thick, fleshy; white in color.
    • Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense.
• Plant description:
  • • Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright and compact plant habit; freely basal branching habit with about five primary flowering stems each with about four lateral branches developing; relatively short internodes; dense and bushy plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit.
    • Plant height.—About 76 cm.
    • Plant width.—About 31 cm.
    • Lateral branch description.—Length: About 30.8 cm. Diameter: About 4.5 mm. Internode length: About 1.8 cm. Strength: Strong, flexible. Aspect: Mostly upright to about 10° from vertical. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 144A.
• Foliage description:
  • • Arrangement.—Alternate, simple; sessile.
    • Length.—About 8.5 cm.
    • Width.—About 2.4 cm.
    • Shape.—Narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate.
    • Apex.—Acute to long acuminate.
    • Base.—Long and narrowly cuneate.
    • Margin.—Irregularly dentate to serrate.
    • Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous; slightly leathery.
    • Venation pattern.—Pinnate.
    • Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to between 143B and 144A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 143C. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A; venation, close to 144B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 138A; venation, close to 144C.
• Flower description:
  • • Flower arrangement, habit and shape.—Single flowers arranged in terminal racemes; flowers held slightly upright to outwardly; freely flowering habit with typically 28 flowers per inflorescence and about 275 flowers developing per plant; flowers bilabiate with two free smaller upper petals and three partially-fused lower petals.
    • Inflorescence length.—About 29.4 cm.
    • Inflorescence diameter.—About 6.2 cm.
    • Fragrance.—None detected.
    • Natural flowering season.—In The Netherlands, plants of the new Lobelia flower continuously from early spring to late summer; plants begin flowering about 13 weeks after planting.
    • Flower longevity on the plant.—Longevity of individual flowers is highly dependent on temperature, flowers typically last about ten days on the plant; flowers not persistent.
    • Flower diameter.—About 3.5 cm by 3.7 cm.
    • Flower depth.—About 3.2 cm.
    • Flower buds.—Length: About 2.5 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Shape: Oblong with a club-shaped apex. Color: Mid-section, close to 64A; towards the apex, close to 59B and 60A; towards the base, close to 64C.
    • Petals.—Quantity and arrangement: Single whorl of five petals fused towards the base; two smaller free upper petals and three partially-fused lower petals; all petals fused into a tube towards the base. Length: About 3.9 mm. Width, upper petals: About 4 mm. Width, lower petals: About 9 mm. Shape: Narrowly spatulate. Apex: Acute to narrowly acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; velvety. Texture, lower surface: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 59B; throat, close to between 63A and 64D. When opening, lower surface: Close to 59B; tube, close to 59B. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 59A to 59B; throat, close to 61A; color does not fade with development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 59B; tube, close to 59A.
    • Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: Single whorl of five sepals, fused at the base; calyx, campanulate. Length: About 1.6 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Narrowly acute. Base: Broadly cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 143C; towards the apex, tinged with close to 177A. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to between 146B and 147A; towards the apex, tinged with close to 177A.
    • Peduncles.—Length: About 26.1 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 144A.
    • Pedicels.—Length: About 9 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Aspect: About 10° from peduncle axis. Strength: Moderately strong, flexible. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to N186C.
    • Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Five. Filament length: About 2.1 cm. Filament color: Close to 61A. Anther length: About 3 mm. Anther shape: Narrowly oblong. Anther color: Close to 200A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 20B. Pistils: Quantity per flower: One. Pistil length: About 2.4 cm. Stigma shape: Bi-lobate. Stigma color: Close to 152C. Style length: About 2.2 cm. Style color: Close to 153D; towards the base, tinged with close to 61D. Ovary color: Close to 152A.
    • Fruits and seeds.—Fruit and seed development have not been observed on plants of the new Lobelia.
• Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Lobelia have not been noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Lobelia plants.
• Garden performance: Plants of the new Lobelia have been observed to have good garden performance and to tolerate wind, rain, high temperatures about 40° C. and to be hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 5.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Lobelia plant named ‘Crimson Princess’ as illustrated and described.