plant named ‘Josarawhi’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Josarawhi’, characterized by its relatively compact, upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; medium green-colored leaves; early, uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative type inflorescences with ray florets that are white in color; relative resistance to Fusarium Wilt, White Rust and Verticillium Wilt; and good greenhouse and outdoor performance.

Description

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum X morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘JOSARAWHI’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR AND APPLICANT/ASSIGNEE

An European Community Plant Breeder's Rights application for the instant plant was filed by the Applicant/Assignee of the instant application, Pieters Joseph & Luc B.V. of Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium on Nov. 5, 2022, application number 2022/2486. Foreign priority is not claimed to this European Community Plant Breeder's Rights application.

The Inventor and Applicant/Assignee assert that no sales, offers for sale or public distribution of the instant plant occurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application.

Any information about the claimed plant would have been obtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from the Inventor and/or Applicant/Assignee. Inventor and Applicant/Assignee claim a prior art exception under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosures and/or sales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior to the effective filing date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum X morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Josarawhi’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniformly mounding and freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Josaradpi’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 18/527,280. ‘Josaradpi’ was originally referred to as ‘Josarma’ in the provisional U.S. Patent Application. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Josaradpi’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2021.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative terminal cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in February, 2022. Asexual reproduction by vegetative terminal cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

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

• • 1. Relatively compact, upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant habit.
  • 2. Vigorous growth habit.
  • 3. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.
  • 4. Medium green-colored leaves.
  • 5. Early, uniform and freely flowering habit.
  • 6. Decorative type inflorescences with ray florets that are white in color.
  • 7. Relative resistant to Fusarium Wilt, White Rust and Verticillium Wilt.
  • 8. Good greenhouse and outdoor performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the mutation parent, ‘Josaradpi’. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of ‘Josaradpi’ in ray floret color as ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are white in color whereas ray florets of plants of ‘Josaradpi’ are reddish purple in color.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Picasso Jogger’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of ‘Picasso Jogger’ in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more outwardly spreading than and not as upright as plants of ‘Picasso Jogger’.
  • 2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences than plants of ‘Picasso Jogger’.
  • 3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are not as pure white as ray florets of plants of ‘Picasso Jogger’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.

The photograph on the first sheet (FIG. 1) is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Josarawhi’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet (FIG. 2) is a close-up view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Josarawhi’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium under natural daylengths during the autumn and employing cultural practices typically used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10C to 25C and night temperatures ranged from 5C to 15C. Plants were 3.5 months old when the photographs and detailed description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

• Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Josarawhi’.
• Parentage:

Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Josaradpi’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 18/627,280.

• Propagation:
  • • Type cutting.—By vegetative tip cuttings.
    • Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at temperatures about 20C.
    • Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at temperatures about 20C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three weeks at temperatures about 20C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four weeks at temperatures about 20C.
    • Root description.—Fine, fibrous; typically light 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.
    • Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density.
• Plant description:
  • • Appearance.—Perennial decorative type Chrysanthemum; plants relatively compact, upright to outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded appearance to the plant; plants roughly spherical and flattened globular in overall shape; very freely branching habit with about 16 primary lateral branches, each primary lateral branch with about five secondary branches; pinching is not required, but will enhance lateral branch development; dense and full plant habit; vigorous growth habit and rapid growth rate; plants flexible, not brittle.
    • Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 30 cm.
    • Plant height, soil level to top of floral plane.—About 35 cm.
    • Plant width.—About 56.5 cm.
    • Lateral branches.—Length: About 13.8 cm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm. Internode length: About 2 cm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: Erect to about 25 degrees from vertical. Texture and luster: Densely pubescent; slightly glossy. Color, developing: Close to a blend of 144A and 144B. Color, developed: Close to 143B.
    • Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 5.1 cm. Width: About 3 cm. Shape in overall outline: Ovate to obovate. Apex: Abruptly acute. Base: Long attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and coarsely dentate-serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent and shallow to medium in depth. Texture and luster, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent; slightly glossy. Texture and luster, lower surface: Densely pubescent; slightly glossy. Venation: Palmately reticulate. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137B. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to NN137A; venation, close to 147B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to 148C. Petioles: Length: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm. Strength: Moderately strong. Texture and luster, upper surface: Moderately to densely pubescent; slightly glossy. Texture and luster, lower surface: Densely pubescent; slightly glossy. Color, upper surface: Close to 146B; at the marginal edges, close to NN137B. Color, lower surface: Close to 148C; at the marginal edges, close to 147B. Stipules: Length: About 4 mm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Shape: Broadly ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Broadly cuneate. Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower surface: Densely pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to NN137A. Color, lower surface: Close to 147B.
• Inflorescence description:
  • • Appearance.—Decorative type inflorescence form; inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.
    • Fragrance.—Moderately fragrant, pungent.
    • Flowering response.—Early and long flowering time; under natural season conditions, plants flower during the autumn into the winter in Belgium; flowering response time, about 45 days.
    • Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color and substance for about two weeks; inflorescences persistent.
    • Quantity of inflorescences.—About 14 inflorescences per lateral branch and about 1,000 inflorescences develop per plant.
    • Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 8 mm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Shape: Close to globular. Texture and luster: Moderately pubescent; slightly glossy. Color: Immature involucral bracts, close to 137C and at the marginal edges, close to 145C; immature ray florets, close to 155B.
    • Inflorescence diameter.—About 2.1 cm.
    • Inflorescence depth (height).—About 5.5 cm.
    • Disc diameter.—About 1.1 cm.
    • Receptacle height.—About 4 mm.
    • Receptacle diameter.—About 7 mm.
    • Receptacle shape.—Flattened globular.
    • Receptacle color.—Close to 146D; at the center, close to 145D.
    • Ray florets.—Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 160 arranged in about seven whorls. Length: About 1 cm to 2.8 cm. Width: About 5.5 mm. Shape: Narrowly obovate; initially, slightly to moderately concave becoming flat to slightly convex with development. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire; fused at the base. Aspect: Depending on development, that is, position on receptacle, about 5 to 45 degrees from horizontal. Texture and luster, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly velvety; matte. Texture and luster, lower surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly velvety; slightly glossy. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 155D. When opening, lower surface: Close to 150D slightly tinged with close to 75D. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to NN155D; venation, close to NN155D; color does not change with subsequent development.
    • Disc florets.—Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 60 spirally arranged at the center of the inflorescence. Length: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Shape: Tubular; apices acute. Texture and luster, inner surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly velvety; slightly glossy. Texture and luster, outer surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly velvety; glossy. Color, developing, inner and outer surfaces: Apex: Close to 15B. Mid-section and base: Close to 145C. Color, developed, inner and outer surfaces: Apex: Close to 15C. Mid-section and base: Close to 145C.
    • Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 36 arranged in three whorls. Length: About 9 mm. Width: About 3 mm. Shape: Ovate to narrowly ovate. Apex: Bluntly acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire; translucent. Texture and luster, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; moderately glossy. Texture and luster, lower surface: Densely pubescent; slightly glossy. Color, upper surface: Close to 146D; marginal edges, close to 145D; apex, close to 199B. Color, lower surface: Close to 137C; marginal edges, close to 145D; apex, strongly tinged with close to 199A and 199B.
    • Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 4.7 cm. Length, third peduncle: About 3.9 cm. Diameter, terminal and third peduncles: About 2 mm. Aspect, terminal peduncle: Mostly erect. Aspect, third peduncle: About 30 degrees from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture and luster: Moderately to densely pubescent; moderately glossy. Color: Close to a blend of 143A and 144A.
    • Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Only present on disc florets. Quantity per disc floret: About five. Filament length: About 3 mm. Filament color: Close to 145D. Anther size: About 0.5 mm by 2 mm. Anther shape: Linear. Anther color: Close to 14A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 15B. Gynoecium: Present on ray and disc florets. Quantity per floret: One. Pistil length: About 5 mm. Stigma diameter: About 0.2 mm. Stigma shape: Cleft, decurrent. Stigma color: Close to 14C. Style length: About 4 mm. Style color: Close to 150C and 150D. Ovary color: Close to 157A.
    • Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit production have not been observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum.
• Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have demonstrated good garden performance and will tolerate temperatures ranging from about −12C to about 35C and to be suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 10.
• Pest & pathogen resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been observed to have relative resistance to Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum), White Rust (Puccinia horiana) and Verticillium Wilt (Verticillium alboatrum). Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed to be resistant to pests and other pathogens of Chrysanthemums.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Josarawhi’ as illustrated and described.