plant named ‘HM 1216’

A new and distinct cultivar of Helleborus plant named ‘HM 1216’, characterized by its upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit; dark green-colored leaflets with lighter green-colored venation; freely flowering habit; dark red-colored flowers; and good garden performance.

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Description

Botanical designation: Helleborus ballardiae X Helleborus x hybridus.

Cultivar denomination: ‘HM 1216’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR/APPLICANT

An European Community Plant Breeder's Rights application for the instant plant was filed by the Inventor/Applicant, Mr. Josef Heuger of Glandorf, Germany, on Dec. 1, 1022, application number 2022/2782. Foreign priority is not claimed to this application.

The Inventor/Applicant asserts that no publications nor advertisements relating to sales, offers for sale or public distribution 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 or Applicant. Inventor/Applicant claims a prior art exception under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosure 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 Helleborus plant, botanically known as Helleborus ballardiae X Helleborus x hybridus and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘HM 1216’.

The new Helleborus plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Glandorf, Germany. The objective of the breeding program was to create new uniform Helleborus plants with unique and attractive plant habit, leaf and flower coloration and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

The new Helleborus plant originated from a cross-pollination conducted by the Inventor in Glandorf, Germany in November, 2014 of a proprietary selection of Helleborus ballardiae identified as code number P482, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent and a proprietary selection of Helleborus x hybridus identified as code number O1682, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Helleborus plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in Glandorf, Germany in December, 2016.

Asexual reproduction of the new Helleborus plant by in vitro axillary meristem culture in a controlled environment in Glandorf, Germany since April, 2017 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 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 ‘HM 1216’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘HM 1216’ as a new and distinct Helleborus plant:

    • 1. Upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit.
    • 2. Vigorous growth habit.
    • 3. Dark green-colored leaflets with lighter green-colored venation.
    • 4. Freely flowering habit.
    • 5. Dark red-colored flowers.
    • 6. Good garden performance.

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

    • 1. Leaf venation of leaflets of plants of the new Helleborus is more distinct than leaf venation of leaflets of plants of the female parent selection.
    • 2. Flowers of plants of the new Helleborus are dark red in color whereas flowers of plants of the female parent selection are creamy white to pink in color.

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

    • 1. Leaf venation of leaflets of plants of the new Helleborus is more distinct than leaf venation of leaflets of plants of the male parent selection.
    • 2. Flowers of plants of the new Helleborus are lighter red in color than flowers of plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Helleborus can also be compared to plants of Helleborus x ericsmithii X Helleborus x hybridus ‘COSEH 4900’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 31,183. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Helleborus differ primarily from plants of ‘COSEH 4900’ in the following characteristics:

    • 1. Leaf venation of leaflets of plants of the new Helleborus is more distinct than leaf venation of leaflets of plants of ‘COSEH 4900’.
    • 2. Flowers of plants of the new Helleborus are darker red in color than flowers of plants of ‘COSEH 4900’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate 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 photographs 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 at the top of the sheet (FIG. 1) is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘HM 1216’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet (FIG. 2) is a close-up view of a typical flowering plant of ‘HM 1216’.

 DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during the early spring in 15-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in Glandorf, Germany and under cultural practices typical of commercial Helleborus production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 12 C to 25 C and night temperatures ranged from 5 C to 12 C. Plants were 48 weeks old when the photographs were taken and 14 months old when the description was 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: Helleborus ballardiae X Helleborus x hybridus ‘HM 1216’.
  • Parentage:
      • Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Helleborus ballardiae identified as code number P482, not patented.
      • Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Helleborus x hybridus identified as code number O1682, not patented.
  • Propagation:
      • Type.—In vitro axillary meristem culture.
      • Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 55 days at temperatures about 12 C.
      • Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 170 days at temperatures ranging from about 4 C to 15 C.
      • Root description.—Thick to thin, fleshy; typically white to brownish 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.—Low branching; sparse.
  • Plant description:
      • Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit with flowers held above the foliar plane; plant shape, roughly flattened globular; vigorous growth habit and moderate to rapid growth rate.
      • Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 30 cm.
      • Plant height, soil level to top of flowers.—About 46.9 cm.
      • Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 59.9 cm.
  • Leaf description:
      • Arrangement.—Leaves arranged in a basal rosette; leaves palmately compound with typically five leaflets per leaf.
      • Leaf length.—About 19 cm.
      • Leaf width.—About 23 cm.
      • Leaflet length.—About 13.8 cm.
      • Leaflet width.—About 6.9 cm.
      • Leaf shape.—Palmate; roughly reniform in outline.
      • Leaflet shape.—Elliptic to ovate.
      • Leaflet apex.—Acute.
      • Leaflet base.—Attenuate.
      • Leaflet margin.—Serrate to biserrate; slightly to moderately coarsely undulate.
      • Leaflet texture and luster, upper surface.—Smooth, glabrous; coriaceous and tough; slightly glossy.
      • Leaflet texture and luster, lower surface.—Smooth, glabrous; coriaceous and tough; slightly to moderately glossy.
      • Leaflet venation pattern.—Pinnate and reticulate.
      • Leaflet color.—Developing leaflets, upper surface: Darker than a blend of 147A and N189A; venation, close to 194A and 194B; midvein, tinged proximally with close to N186C. Developing leaflets, lower surface: Slightly darker than 200A tinged with close to N186C. Fully developed leaflets, upper surface: Darker than a blend of 147A and N189A; areas surrounding the venation, close to 191B and 191C; venation, close to 146A to 146B, proximally, tinged with close to a blend of N186C and 200B. Fully developed leaflets, lower surface: Slightly darker than a blend of N138B and 191A; venation, close to N186C.
      • Petioles.—Length: About 15.1 cm. Diameter: About 6.5 mm by 7 mm. Strength: Strong. Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; moderately glossy. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 146B; proximally, strongly tinged with close to 200A; heavily covered with fine dots, close to 200B.
  • Flower description:
      • Flower shape and habit.—Single rotate bowl-shaped flowers arranged in panicles; freely flowering habit with about 5 to 19 flowers per inflorescence and about 120 flowers and flower buds per plant; flowers face mostly outwardly to slightly nodding.
      • Fragrance.—None detected.
      • Natural flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about ten months after planting; plants flower naturally from late winter into early spring in Germany.
      • Flower longevity on the plant.—About ten days; sepals persistent, other flower parts are not persistent.
      • Flower buds.—Length: About 1.8 cm. Diameter: About 1.6 cm. Shape: Broadly ovate. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; slightly glossy. Color: Close to 187B.
      • Inflorescence height (including peduncle).—About 41.7 cm.
      • Inflorescence diameter.—About 22.6 cm.
      • Flower diameter.—About 6.1 cm.
      • Flower depth.—About 2.6 cm.
      • Petals.—All petals are transformed into nectaries.
      • Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: About five, arranged in a single whorl. Length: About 3.5 cm. Width: About 2.9 cm. Shape: Broadly ovate; slightly to moderately concave. Apex: Broadly and bluntly acute. Base: Truncate to rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture and luster, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; matte. Texture and luster, lower surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly glossy. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 187B; towards the base, close to 146D. When opening, lower surface: Close to N186C. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 187A with fine marbling, close to 187B to 187C; towards the base, close to 152D; venation, similar to lamina colors; color does not change with subsequent development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to a blend of N186C and 187A with fine marbling, close to 187B; venation, similar to lamina colors; color does not change with subsequent development.
      • Flower bracts.—Quantity per flower: Typically one or two. Length: About 5.5 cm. Width: About 3.9 cm. Shape: Broadly oblong to broadly ovate. Apex: Acute to three-parted with acute tips. Base: Truncate to cuneate. Margin: Proximally, entire; distally, finely serrate; coarsely undulate. Color, upper surface: Close to a blend of NN137A and 147A; venation and areas surrounding the venation, close to 194A and tinged with close to 186B. Color, lower surface: Close to a blend of N186C and 200A.
      • Peduncles.—Length: About 35.5 cm. Diameter: About 6.5 mm to 7 mm. Aspect: About 20 degrees from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; moderately glossy. Color: Close to 187A to 187B; moderately covered with fine dots, close to 151C to 151D.
      • Pedicels.—Length: About 4 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Aspect: About 40 degrees from peduncle axis. Strength: Moderately strong. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; moderately glossy. Color: Close to a blend of N186C and 187A; moderately covered with fine dots, close to lighter than 151D.
      • Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About 50. Filament length: About 1.4 cm. Filament color: Close to 186C to 186D; distally, close to 155A. Anther shape: Double and broadly reniform; basifixed. Anther size: About 1.5 mm by 2 mm. Anther color: Close to 154C. Pollen amount: Sparse. Pollen color: Close to 4D to lighter than 4D. Pistils: Quantity per flower: About five to seven. Pistil length: About 1.4 cm. Stigma diameter: About 0.3 mm. Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: Close to 156A. Style length: About 1.35 cm. Style color: Close to N186C. Ovary color: Close to N186A. Nectaries (transformed petals): Quantity per flower: About twelve, occasionally, nine to eleven. Length: About 1.2 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Shape: Tubular, flattened; apices, obtuse. Texture and luster, inner and outer surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; slightly glossy. Color, immature, inner surface: Close to 145A; towards the apex, close to 145B to 145C. Color, immature, outer surface: Close to 145A; towards the apex, close to 145B to 145C; towards the base, close to 152C to 152D. Color, mature, inner surface: Proximally, close to 151A; distally, close to 153D; venation, similar to lamina colors; with subsequent development, proximally, color becoming closer to 13B and distally, close to 175C. Color, mature, outer surface: Proximally, close to 151A; distally, close to 153D; at the base, close to 152B to 152C; venation, similar to lamina colors; with subsequent development, proximally, color becoming closer to 13B and distally, close to 175C, and at the base, close to 152A.
      • Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit development have not been observed on plants of the new Helleborus.
  • Garden performance: Plants of the new Helleborus have been observed to have good garden performance and to tolerate rain, wind, high temperatures about 35 C and to be suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 9.
  • Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Helleborus have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Helleborus plants.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Helleborus plant named ‘HM 1216’ as illustrated and described.

Patent History
Patent number: PP36181
Type: Grant
Filed: Nov 14, 2023
Date of Patent: Oct 1, 2024
Inventor: Josef Heuger (Glandorf)
Primary Examiner: Karen M Redden
Application Number: 18/389,416
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Helleborus (PLT/439)
International Classification: A01H 5/02 (20180101); A01H 6/72 (20180101);