Aster plant named &#8216;Esmart&#8217;

A new and distinct cultivar of cut flower Aster plant named &#8216;Esmart&#8217;, characterized by its strong erect flowering stems; symmetrical branching habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with violet-colored ray florets; and good postproduction longevity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of cut flower Aster plant, botanically known as Aster hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name Esmart .

The new Aster is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador. The objective of the breeding program is to create new cut flower Aster cultivars with durable leaves, strong stems, desirable floret colors, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Aster originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador in August, 1999, of a proprietary Aster selection identified as breeding line 13, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown Aster selection, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Aster was 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 El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador. The selection of this plant was based on its durable foliage, strong stems and desirable inflorescence form and ray floret color.

Asexual reproduction of the new Aster by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador in August, 2000. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Aster are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Esmart has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and/or light level, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of Esmart . These characteristics in combination distinguish Esmart as a new and distinct cut flower Aster:

4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.

Plants of the new Aster are taller than plants of the female parent selection. In addition, plants of the new Aster differ from plants of the female parent selection in ray floret coloration.

Plants of the new Aster can be compared to plants of the cultivar Cirina, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador plants of the new Aster differed from plants of the cultivar Cirina in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Aster were more vigorous than plants of the cultivar Cirina.

2. Plants of the new Aster had stronger flowering stems than plants of the cultivar Cirina.

3. Plants of the new Aster had larger and darker-green colored leaves than plants of the cultivar Cirina.

4. Plants of the new Aster had larger inflorescences with more ray and disc florets per inflorescence than plants of the cultivar Cirina.

5. Inflorescences of plants of the new Aster had more phyllaries than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Cirina.

6. Plants of the new Aster had longer peduncles than plants of the cultivar Cirina.

7. Plants of the new Aster and the cultivar Cirina differed in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Cirina had purple violet-colored ray florets.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the summer in El Quinche, Pichincha, Ecuador, in an outdoor nursery and under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial cut flower Aster production. During the production of these plants, day temperatures ranged from 12 to 30 C. and night temperatures ranged from 5 to 12 C. Plants were about four to six months from planting rooted young plants when the photographs and the botanical description were taken.

Female, or seed, parent. Proprietary Aster hybrida selection identified as breeding line 13, not patented.

Time to initiate roots. About 12 to 16 days at 17 to 25 C.

Time to produce a rooted young plant. About 21 to 25 days at 17 to 25 C.

Appearance. Decorative-type inflorescence form with narrowly elliptic-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences terminal or axillary. Disc and ray florets develop acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent. Inflorescences face mostly upright. Uniform and freely flowering habit.

Postproduction longevity. Inflorescences maintain good color and substance for about two weeks as a cut flower and about 25 days on the plant.

Quantity of inflorescences. About eleven inflorescences develop per lateral branch.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Asters has not been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.

Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Aster have been observed to tolerate temperatures from 5 to over 30 C.