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Rhaphiolepis.times.delacourii Andre `Georgia Charm` |
| PP9982 |
Rhaphiolepis.times.delacourii Andre `Georgia Charm`
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| Patent Drawings: | |
| Inventor: |
Corley |
| Date Issued: |
July 29, 1997 |
| Application: |
08/542,632 |
| Filed: |
October 13, 1995 |
| Inventors: |
Corley; Will L. (Griffin, GA)
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| Assignee: |
University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. (Athens, GA) |
| Primary Examiner: |
Feyrer; James R. |
| Assistant Examiner: |
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| Attorney Or Agent: |
Greenlee, Winner and Sullivan, P.C. |
| U.S. Class: |
PLT/254 |
| Field Of Search: |
Plt/67.5 |
| International Class: |
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| U.S Patent Documents: |
PP9398 |
| Foreign Patent Documents: |
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| Other References: |
Everett, Thomas H., "The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture," 1992, Garland Publishing, Inc., pp. 2885-2886..
Lindstrom, Orville M. and Will L. Corley, "Leaf and Stem Cold Hardiness of Four Selections Raphiolepis umbellata Makino," 1992, J. Environ. Hort., 10(1):1-3..
"The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening," Anthony Huxley, Editor-in-Chief, 1992, The MacMillan Press Limited, p. 24..
"The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, Sixth Edition," David & Charles, 1991, p. 356..
Odenwald, Neil G. and James R. Turner, "Plants for the South: A Guide for Landscape Design," 1980, Claitor's Publishing Division, Baton Rouge, p. 426..
Halfacre, R. Gordon, and Anne R. Shawcroft, "Landscape Plants of the Southeast," 1979, Sparks Press, p. 128, p. 88 and map.. |
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| Abstract: |
This new plant is a distinct variety of Rhaphiolepis.times.delacourii Andre that is characterized by its semi-dwarf habit, its cold tolerance and its resistance to Entomosporium leafspot. |
| Claim: |
I claim:
1. The new distinct plant cultivar of Rhaphiolepis.times.delacourii Andre, substantially as herein shown and described. |
| Description: |
FIELDOF THE INVENTION
The plant of this invention is an ornamental evergreen semi-dwarf flowering shrub which is resistant to Entomosporium leafspot and is fairly cold hardy in comparison with other plants within the botanical and market classes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Rhaphiolepis is a genus of the Rosaceae family containing several species of evergreen shrubs that originated in China and Japan. They are considered well adapted for garden and landscape use in mild climate regions, and they are particularlywell-suited to coastal areas, due to their tolerance to salt spray, drought and sandy soils. The hybrid Rhaphiolepis taxa, R..times.delacourii, was first reported and grown in the late nineteenth century by Delacour, a gardener in Cannes, France. Thishybrid shows moderate resistance to leaf spot and cold damage, while plant characters are intermediate between the parent species, R. indica and R. umbellata. Rhaphiolepis umbellata (sometimes referred to as Rhaphiolepis japonica or Rhaphiolepis ovata),commonly known as Yeddo Hawthorn, is native to Japan and the Ryukyu islands. It is typically a rounded shrub that can reach a maximum height of about 12 feet (The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture, Thomas H. Everett,Garland Publishing, Inc. 1992, pp. 2885-2886). Rhaphiolepis umbellata is used in the landscapes as an intermediate sized shrub. It is attractive because it blooms profusely in the springtime with white to pink flowers and because dark-blue to blackfruits form in the summer and persist throughout the fall and winter. Regarding its size, it is typically reported as "unpredictable," with reports ranging from the 12 feet as reported above, to "4-6 feet, spread 6 feet" (in "Landscape Plants of theSoutheast," R. Gordon Halfacre and Anne R. Shawcroft, Sparks Press 1979, p. 128), to "1-4 m" (in "The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening, Anthony Huxley, Editor-in-Chief, The MacMillan Press Limited, 1992; p. 24) to "1.2 m" (in "TheHillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs, Sixth Edition," David & Charles, 1992, p. 356). Due to this documented variability in size, there has been a need to develop a new cultivar with a more compact habit for use in certain landscape settings. Additionally,there is a need to develop a landscape plant well-adapted to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hardiness Zone 7b and which demonstrates resistance to leaf spot disease that has become a serious problem on this species.
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
`Georgia Charm` was developed from an organized, scientifically designed breeding program conducted at the University of Georgia Experiment Station at Griffin, Ga. `Georgia Charm` originated from a seedling population of a cross of PlantIntroduction selection Rhaphiolepis umbellata PI277653 and Rhaphiolepis umbellata `Ovata.` The PI parent (currently available in the trade as `Eskimo`) has plant characters atypical of R. umbellata, being an apparent hybrid of R. umbellata and R. indica,consequently this accession more appropriately fits the description of Rhaphiolepis.times.delacourii. The two parents were chosen following a six-year study of twenty cultivars which were evaluated for cold tolerance and resistance to Entomosporiummaculatum leafspot. These two parents were ranked the best in these two catagories. Approximately 2,000 seedlings from the cross were grown in simulated nursery and landscape conditions and then evaluated for superiority in the desired characteristicsof compact growth habit, cold tolerance, and leaf spot resistance. The first act of asexual reproduction of `Georgia Charm` occurred in 1983 using semi-hardwood cuttings. Propagation has been successful (75 to 90 percent) using semi-hardwood cuttingstaken during June to August. Cuttings were stuck in a well-drained medium under intermittent mist after a quick dip of 10,000 ppm indole butyric acid. Seeds are viable, but vegetative propagation is essential to maintain the characteristics true to thecultivar. Plants are presently being propagated by four Georgia nursery propagators who were selected and licensed by the Georgia Seed Development Commission, Georgia Department of Agriculture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a new and distinct plant cultivar of Rhaphiolepis.times.delacourii Andre, which has been given the cultivar name `Georgia Charm.` The following are the most pronounced characteristics of this new cultivar whengrown in the Georgia piedmont under low maintenance landscape conditions:
1. Compact and mounding in nature. The plant is slightly wider than tall (4 feet.times.5 feet).
2. Moderately slow growth rate, requiring little pruning.
3. Cold hardy through USDA Zone 7b.
4. High resistance to leaf spot.
5. Relatively pest resistant.
6. Adapted to a wide range of soil types.
7. Mature leaves are lustrous dark green with light green undersides, elliptic-obovate shape, distally serrate margins, and rounded apex.
8. The single flowers are white with deep maroon stamens.
9. Clusters of bluish-black fruits, one centimeter in diameter, persist from summer into winter.
10. Good plant for foundation plantings, informal beds, low hedges, and wildlife habitat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC DRAWINGS
The file of this patent contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Patent and Trademark Office upon request and payment of the proper fee. The accompanying photographicprints illustrate this new cultivar of Rhaphiolepis.times.delacourii:
FIG. 1 illustrates the low stature of the plant relative to a yardstick.
FIG. 2 illustrates the color and shape of the flowers and leaves of the plant in greater detail.
Colors shown are reasonably accurate by conventional photographic procedures. Colors of various plant parts are defined using The RoyalHorticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart for standardization. Description of some colors in less exacting terms are used where appropriate for clarity in meaning.
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT
`Georgia Charm` is a new and distinct plant cultivar of Rhaphiolepis.times.delacourii Andre. Distinctive characteristics of cultivars similar to `Georgia Charm` are presented in the following table:
______________________________________ Win- Leaf- ter spot Species/ Leaf Leaf Flower Hardi- Resis- Plant Size Cultivar Shape Size Color ness* tance** Ht. .times. Spd. ______________________________________ R. indica Un- Vari- Pink 8bPoor Variable Indian dulating able (15.degree. F.) Hawthorn R. Smooth Vari- White 8 Good Variable umbellata able (10.degree. F.) Yedda Hawthorn R. .times. Variable Vari- Lt.- 8 Poor- 4 .times. 6 delacourii able Pink (10.degree. F.) Good [feet] Hybrid White R. .times. Elliptic- 2.2 .times. Lt. 7b Excel- 6 .times. 8 delacourii obovate 0.8 Pink (5.degree. F.) lent [feet] `Eskimo` Smooth [inches] R. .times. Lightly 2.3 .times. Lt. 7b Excel- 2.5 .times. 3 delacourii serrated 1.6Pink (5.degree. F.) lent [feet] `Georgia Obovate [inches] Petite` R. .times. Distally 2.0 .times. White 7b Excel- 4 .times. 5 delacourii serrated 0.8 (5.degree. F.) lent [feet] `Georgia Elliptic- [inches] Charm` obovate ______________________________________ *Excerpted from landscape plantings and laboratory freeze tests; USDA Plant Hardiness Zones. **Excerpted from replicated field tests interplanted with infected susceptible species for inoculation.
The cultivar `Georgia Charm` is an evergreen shrub which typically matures at approximately 4 feet in height with a rounded canopy, spreading to approximately 5 feet in width. Branching is compact, leading to the low stature of the plant, andflowering is precocious. Growth is vigorous prior to maturity and moderately slow thereafter. When grown in partial shade locations, plant measurements increase by 8 to 10 inches, but plant canopy remains very desirable and flowering remainsprecocious. Its flowers are white with deep maroon stamens and appear for two to three weeks during middle to late April in northern Georgia, although the exact flowering period is dependent on weather conditions. Flowering occurs in the first year. The leaves are lustrous dark green with light green underside and distally serrate margins. The leaf shape is elliptic-obovate and rounded at the apex, measuring approximately 2.0 inches.times.0.8 inches. Branching is irregular with one to three newbreaks per stem with 1.0 to 1.5 centimeters internode length. Four to five leaves originate just below each terminal stem bud. The terminal stem buds are dark green in color. Bark on current season's growth is greenish-grey and changes to medium greyduring the second year. Clusters of bluish-black fruits (R.H.S. Color 103A) are approximately one centimeter in diameter and are quite showy, persisting from summer into winter. However, the fruits are not significantly different from those of eitherparent.
`Georgia Charm` showed no symptoms of leafspot during replicated field tests when interplanted with infected susceptible species (redtipped photinia and cleyera) for inoculation, which makes it significantly distinct from most other commerciallyavailable cultivars of this species. The cold tolerance is significantly improved, thus extending the adaptability range of this species northward to the piedmont areas of the southeastern United States (USDA Hardiness Zone 7b). The traits of thesemi-dwarf habit, the cold tolerance, and the strong resistance to leafspot disease make this a unique selection in the species and a good companion plant for the landscape designer's plant palettes in developing environmental plantings located in USDAclimactic zones 7b to 10.
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