The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora and referred to by the cultivar name Delistar Yellow.
The new Chrysanthemum was discovered by the Inventor in a controlled environment in ""s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands in April, 1999, as a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Delistar, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,964. The new Chrysanthemum was observed as a single plant in a group of flowering plants of the parent cultivar. The selection of this plant was based on its unique ray floret color.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by terminal cuttings harvested in ""s-Granvenzande, The Netherlands, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Delistar Yellow has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength 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 xe2x80x98Delistar Yellowxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Delistar Yellowxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Large quilled spider double-type inflorescences with yellow ray florets; typically grown as a single inflorescence per flowering stem.
2. Numerous ray florets and few disc florets; disc florets typically inconspicuous.
3. Dark green foliage.
4. Strong flower stems.
5. Low number of inflorescences per flowering stem which reduces the amount of disbudding required.
6. Short response time.
7. Unattractive to leafminers.
8. Excellent postproduction longevity.
9. Tolerant to low light conditions, can be grown without the benefit of supplemental lighting.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the parent cultivar, Delistar, primarily in ray floret color. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Delistar.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Spider Yellow, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in ""s-Granvenzande, The Netherlands, plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Spider Yellow differ in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower at least seven days earlier than plants of the cultivar Spider Yellow.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have fewer inflorescences per flowering stem and therefore more economical to grow as a single inflorescence per stem than plants of the cultivar Spider Yellow.
3. Ray floret corolla tubes of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more coarse than ray floret corolla tubes of plants of the cultivar Spider Yellow.
4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum develop few conspicuous disc florets whereas inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Spider Yellow develop conspicuous disc florets.