plant named ‘EPB 210’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Helleborus plant named ‘EPB 210’, characterized by its upright and mounding plant habit; uniform, continuous and freely flowering habit; relatively large purple-colored flowers with darker purple-colored spots that are held above the foliar plane on relatively long peduncles; and good garden performance.

Description

Botanical designation: Helleborus X hybridus.

Cultivar denomination: ‘EPB 210’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Helleborus plant, botanically known as Helleborus X hybridus and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘EPB 210’.

The new Helleborus plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Devon, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program was to create new freely-flowering Helleborus plants with strong peduncles that hold numerous attractive flowers above the foliar plane.

The new Helleborus plant originated from a cross-pollination conducted by the Inventors in Devon, United Kingdom on Jan. 3, 2007 of a proprietary seedling selection of Helleborus X hybridus identified as code designation STK 15Z22, as the female, or seed, parent, not patented, with a proprietary seedling selection of Helleborus X hybridus identified as code designation MX1940VC, as the male, or pollen, parent, not patented. The new Helleborus plant was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in Devon, United Kingdom on Jan. 29, 2009.

Asexual reproduction of the new Helleborus plant by meristem culture in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Lier, The Netherlands since Oct. 10, 2012, has shown that the unique features of this new Helleborus plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Helleborus have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype of the new Helleborus plant may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype of the new Helleborus plant.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘EPB 210’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘EPB 210’ as a new and distinct Helleborus plant:

• • 1. Upright and mounding plant habit.
  • 2. Uniform, continuous and freely flowering habit.
  • 3. Relatively large purple-colored flowers with darker purple-colored spots that are held above the foliar plane on relatively long peduncles.
  • 4. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Helleborus differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Helleborus are shorter than plants of the female parent selection.
  • 2. Plants of the new Helleborus have larger flowers than plants of the female parent selection.
  • 3. Plants of the new Helleborus and the female parent selection differ in flower color as plants of the female parent selection have white-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Helleborus differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Helleborus are shorter than plants of the male parent selection.
  • 2. Plants of the new Helleborus have shorter peduncles than plants of the male parent selection.
  • 3. Plants of the new Helleborus and the male parent selection differ in flower color as plants of the male parent selection have purple-colored flowers without spots.

Plants of the new Helleborus can be compared to plants of Helleborus x hybridus ‘EPB 32’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,007. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Helleborus differ from plants of ‘EPB 32’ in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Helleborus are more compact than plants of ‘EPB 32’.
  • 2. Flowers of plants of the new Helleborus are slightly larger than flowers of plants of ‘EPB 32’.
  • 3. Plants of the new Helleborus and ‘EPB 32’ differ in flower color as plants of ‘EPB 32’ have darker purple-colored flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Helleborus 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 colors of the new Helleborus plant.

The photograph is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘EPB 210’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during the winter in three-liter containers in an outdoor nursery in Boijl, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial Helleborus production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 0° C. to 10° C. and night temperatures ranged from −15° C. to 0° C. Plants were one year old when the photograph and the description were taken. 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.

• Botanical classification: Helleborus hybridus ‘EPB 210’.
• Parentage:
  • • Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of Helleborus X hybridus identified as code designation STK 15Z22, not patented.
    • Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of Helleborus X hybridus identified as code designation MX1940VC, not patented.
• Propagation:
  • • Type.—By meristem culture.
    • Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 15 days at temperatures about 22° C. to 25° C.
    • Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 15 to 22 days at temperatures about 5° C. to 10° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About two months at temperatures about 20° C.
    • Root description.—Fleshy, vigorous; typically white to brown in color, actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation, substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.
• Plant description:
  • • Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright and mounding plant habit with flowers held above the foliar plane; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit.
    • Plant height.—About 25 cm to 35 cm.
    • Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 25 cm to 35 cm.
    • Stems.—Strength: Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; shiny. Color: Close to 146B with spots, close to 187A.
• Leaf description:
  • • Arrangement.—Leaves arranged alternately in a basal rosette; leaves palmately compound with three to five leaflets per leaf.
    • Leaflet length.—About 10 cm to 15 cm.
    • Leaflet width.—About 7 cm to 10 cm.
    • Leaflet shape.—Ovate to lanceolate.
    • Leaflet apex.—Acute.
    • Leaflet base.—Acute.
    • Leaflet margin.—Serrate.
    • Leaflet texture and luster, upper surface.—Smooth, glabrous; leathery; shiny.
    • Leaflet texture and luster, lower surface.—Smooth, glabrous; leathery; somewhat shiny.
    • Leaflet venation pattern.—Pinnate.
    • Leaflet color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A; towards the center, slightly overlain with close to 187B. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 146A overlain with close to 187A. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 139A; venation, close to 139C, proximally, close to 187A. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 147A; venation, close to 137B and 187A.
    • Petioles.—Length: About 10 cm to 15 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm to 7 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, developing leaves, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 146A; spots, close to 187A. Color, fully expanded leaves, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 146A; spots, close to N199A.
• Flower description:
  • • Flower shape and habit.—Single rotate flowers arranged in loosely branched cymes; freely flowering habit with typically about 20 to 30 flowers developing per cyme and up to 40 flowers developing per cyme in the second year of growth; flowers facing outwardly and somewhat drooping.
    • Fragrance.—None detected.
    • Natural flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about two months after planting; plants flower from January until March in the United Kingdom.
    • Flower longevity on the plant.—Typically more than two months; flowers persistent.
    • Inflorescence height.—About 25 cm to 30 cm.
    • Inflorescence diameter.—About 30 cm to 40 cm.
    • Flower buds.—Length: About 1 cm to 3 cm. Diameter: About 1 cm to 2 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: Close to N79B.
    • Flower diameter.—About 7 cm to 9 cm.
    • Flower depth (height).—About 2 cm to 4 cm.
    • Petals.—None observed; transformed into nectaries.
    • Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: Five arranged in a single whorl. Length: About 3 cm to 4 cm. Width: About 3.5 cm to 4.5 cm. Shape: Ovate to obovate. Apex: Obtuse and occasionally emarginate. Base: Rounded. Margin: Mostly entire and occasionally emarginate. Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; matte. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface: Close to N77D; spots, close to 79A; color does not change with development. When opening and fully opened, lower surface: Close to N77B; color does not change with development.
    • Peduncles.—Length: About 10 cm to 15 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm to 10 mm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 146B; spots, close to 187A.
    • Pedicels.—Length: About 4 cm to 10 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm to 4 mm. Aspect: About 10° from peduncle axis. Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 146B; spots, close to 187A.
    • Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About 60. Filament length: About 1.5 cm to 1.8 cm. Filament color: Close to 155D slightly tinged with close to 186D. Anther shape: Ovate. Anther length: About 2 mm. Anther color: Close to 4B. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 4B. Pistils: Quantity per flower: About five. Pistil length: About 2.5 cm. Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: Close to 4D. Style length: About 1.5 cm. Style color: Close to N79C. Ovary color: Close to N79B to N79C.
    • Nectaries.—Quantity per flower: About 10 to 15. Length: About 5 mm to 8 mm. Width: About 3 mm to 5 mm. Shape: Funnelform. Color: Close to N144C.
    • Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit development have not been observed on plants of the new Helleborus to date.
• Garden performance: Plants of the new Helleborus have been observed to have good garden performance and to tolerate rain, wind and temperatures ranging from about −20° C. to about 35° C.
• Pathogen & pest resistance: Plants of the new Helleborus have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Helleborus plants to date.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Helleborus plant named ‘EPB 210’ as illustrated and described.