Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yotasha’

A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yotasha’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full appearance; uniform and freely flowering habit; small daisy-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets; ray florets initially yellow becoming bronze-colored with development; bright yellow-colored disc florets; natural season flowering in mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere; and good garden performance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemumplant, botanically known asChrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially known as a garden-typeChrysanthemumand hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yotasha’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-typeChrysanthemumcultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret coloration and good garden performance.

The newChrysanthemumoriginated from a cross-pollination made in October, 1999 in Salinas, Calif., of theChrysanthemum×morifoliumcultivar Alcala, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,211, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietaryChrysanthemum×morifoliumseedling selection identified as code number 97-L002, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The newChrysanthemumwas discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in November, 2000. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive floret coloration and good garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2001, has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemumare stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yotasha 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 ‘Yotasha’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yotasha’ as a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum:1. Upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit.2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.4. Small daisy-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets.5. Ray florets initially yellow becoming bronze-colored with development; bright yellow-colored disc florets.6. Natural season flowering in mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere.7. Good garden performance.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla. under natural season conditions, plants of the newChrysanthemumdiffered from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Alcala, in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newChrysanthemumwere smaller than plants of the cultivar Alcala.2. Plants of the newChrysanthemumflowered about two or three days later than plants of the cultivar Alcala.3. Plants of the newChrysanthemumand the cultivar Alcala differed in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Alcala had dark pink-colored florets.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla. under natural season conditions, plants of the newChrysanthemumdiffered from plants of the male parent, the proprietary seedling selection identified as code number 97-L002, in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newChrysanthemumwere smaller and more rounded than plants of the male parent selection.2. Plants of the newChrysanthemumhad smaller inflorescences than plants of the male parent selection.3. Plants of the newChrysanthemumflowered about one month later than plants of the male parent selection.4. Plants of the newChrysanthemumand the male parent selection differed in ray floret coloration as plants of the male parent selection had white-colored ray florets.

Plants of the newChrysanthemumcan be compared to plants of theChrysanthemumcultivar Yogabriella, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,762. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla. under natural season conditions, plants of the newChrysanthemumdiffered from plants of the cultivar Yogabriella in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newChrysanthemumwere more compact and more rounded than plants of the cultivar Yogabriella.2. Plants of the newChrysanthemumflowered about two to four weeks later than plants of the cultivar Yogabriella.3. Ray florets of plants of the newChrysanthemumwere darker in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Yogabriella.

Plants of the newChrysanthemumcan also be compared to plants of theChrysanthemumcultivar Gedi One Sap, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,731. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla. under natural season conditions, plants of the newChrysanthemumdiffered from plants of the cultivar Gedi One Sap in the following characteristics:1. Inflorescences of plants of the newChrysanthemumhad fewer ray florets than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Gedi One Sap.2. Plants of the newChrysanthemumflowered about ten days earlier than plants of the cultivar Gedi One Sap.3. Ray florets of plants of the newChrysanthemumresisted fading better than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Gedi One Sap.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Leamington, Ontario, Canada during the late summer and fall in an outdoor nursery and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden-typeChrysanthemumproduction. One cutting was planted in a 15.25-cm container in mid-July. During the production of the plants, plants were exposed to natural season photoperiodic conditions with day temperatures averaging 26° C. and night averaging 18° C. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants.Botanical classification:Chrysanthemum×morifoliumcultivar Yotasha.Commercial classification: Daisy-type gardenChrysanthemum.Parentage:Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifoliumcultivar Alcala, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,211.Male, or pollen, parent.—ProprietaryChrysanthemum×morifoliumseedling selection identified as code number 97-L002, not patented.Propagation:Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.Time to initiate roots, year-round.—About four days at 21° C.Time to produce a rooted cutting, year-round.—About ten to twelve days at 21° C.Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.Rooting habit.—Freely branching.Plant description:Plant form/growth habit.—Perennial herbaceous daisy-type gardenChrysanthemum. Inverted triangle with mounded crown; rounded plant habit. Stems initially upright, then outwardly spreading. Freely branching with lateral branches potentially developing at every node. Moderately vigorous to vigorous.Plant height.—About 14.5 cm.Plant diameter.—About 34 cm.Lateral branches.—Length: About 17 cm. Diameter: About 4.5 mm. Internode length: About 1.4 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Close to 144A.Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 3.8 cm. Width: About 2.7 cm. Apex: Mucronate. Base: Attenuate to truncate. Margin: Palmately and deeply lobed; sinuses parallel to divergent. Texture, upper and lower aurfaces: Pubescent. Color: Developing foliage, upper surface: More green than 147A. Developing foliage, lower surface: More green than 147B. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: More green than 147A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: Close to 147B. Venation, upper surface: Close to 147A to 147B. Venation, lower surface: Close to 147B. Petiole: Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 146A to 146B.Inflorescence description:Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray florets developing acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences face mostly upright or outwardly. Inflorescences slightly cupped. Uniform and freely flowering; about 22 inflorescences develop per lateral branch. Inflorescences persistent. Inflorescences not fragrant.Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower in mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere.Inflorescence bud(before showing color).—Height: About 4.5 mm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color (lower surface of phyllaries): Close to 147A to 146A.Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.75 cm. Depth( height): About 1.7 cm. Disc diameter: About 1 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 5 mm. Receptacle height: About 4.5 mm.Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong. Length: About 1.9 cm. Corolla tube length: About 3 mm. Width: About 5 mm. Apex: Emarginate. Margin: Fused. Texture: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Surface: Concave to flat. Orientation: Initiallly upright, then curved upright. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 35 in about two to three whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 6A. When opening, lower surface: Close to 6C to 6D. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 6A to 6C overlain with 59A. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 6C to 6D faintly underlain with 59A.Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular; apex dentate, five-pointed. Length: About 4.5 mm. Width, apex: About 2 mm. Width, base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: Numerous. Color: Immature: Close to 9A to 12A. Mature: Apex: Close to 12A. Mid-section: Close to 144A. Base: Close to 155D.Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 24. Length: About 5.5 mm. Width: About 4 mm. Shape: Deltoid. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate, fused. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 146A. Color, lower surface: Close to 147A to 146A.Peduncle.—Length: First peduncle: About 3.8 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 5.8 cm. Seventh peduncle: About 9 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: About 45 to 50° from vertical. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Close to 144A.Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anther color: 9A to 12A. Pollen: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 15A. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets.Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the newChrysanthemumhave not been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common toChrysanthemums.Garden performance: Plants of the newChrysanthemumhave been observed to be have good garden performance and to be tolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from 0 to greater than 38° C.