A new and distinct cultivar of Asiatic Hybrid Lily plant named ‘Mount Dragon’ characterized by its medium to large plant size; vigorous growth habit; freely flowering habit; red-colored tepals that are slightly recurved; and good postproduction longevity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Asiatic Hybrid Lily plant, botanically known asLilium hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Mount Dragon’.

The new Asiatic Hybrid Lily is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in 't Zand, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new potted Asiatic Hybrid Lily plants with erect flowers, attractive flower coloration and good postproduction longevity.

The new Asiatic Hybrid Lily originated from a cross-pollination in 1995 of an unnamed proprietary Asiatic Hybrid Lily, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Asiatic Hybrid Lily cultivar Red Dwarf, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,764, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Mount Dragon was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the resultant progeny of the cross-pollination in a controlled environment in 't Zand, The Netherlands in May, 1998.

Asexual reproduction of the new Asiatic Hybrid Lily by bulb scales in a controlled environment in 't Zand, The Netherlands since November, 1998, has shown that the unique features of this new Asiatic Hybrid Lily are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar ‘Mount Dragon’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment 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 ‘Mount Dragon’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Mount Dragon’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Asiatic Hybrid Lily:1. Medium to large plant size; vigorous growth habit.2. Freely flowering habit.3. Red-colored tepals that are slightly recurved.4. Good postproduction longevity.

Plants of the new Asiatic Hybrid Lily differ from plants of the female parent selection primarily in tepal coloration as plants of the female parent selection have orange-colored tepals.

Plants of the new Asiatic Hybrid Lily are most similar to plants of the male parent, the cultivar Red Dwarf. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in 't Zand, The Netherlands, plants of the new Asiatic Hybrid Lily differed from plants of the cultivar Red Dwarf, in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the new Asiatic Hybrid Lily were more compact than plants of the cultivar Red Dwarf.2. Plants of the new Asiatic Hybrid Lily were more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Red Dwarf.

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 photograph and following observations and measurements describe two month-old plants grown in 't Zand, The Netherlands under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse. Plants were grown at a minimum temperature of about 15° C. and the average daylength was about 14 hours. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants. The photograph and the description were taken during the early summer.Botanical classification:Lilium hybridacultivar Mount Dragon.Parentage:Female, or seed parent.—Unnamed proprietary selection ofLilium hybrida,not patented.Male, or pollen, parent.—Lilium hybridacultivar Red Dwarf, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,764.Plant description:Plant form/growth habit.—Upright flowering plant; single erect flowering stem with a terminal cluster of flowers. Medium to large plant size. Vigorous growth habit.Plant height, soil level to top of flowers.—About 40 cm.Plant diameter.—About 20 cm.Flowering stems.—Internode length: About 5 to 10 mm. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: 144A.Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple; sessile. Quantity of leaves per plant: About 40. Length, lower leaves: About 7.5 cm. Width, lower leaves: About 1.5 cm. Length, upper leaves: About 10 cm. Width, upper leaves: About 1.7 cm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth; leathery. Venation pattern: Parallel. Color: Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper surface: 141A. Developing and fully expanded leaves, lower surface: 146B. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Similar to lamina.Bulbs.—Diameter: About 14 to 16 cm. Texture: Smooth. Color: Close to 155D.Flower description:Flowering habit.—Terminal single flowers arranged on a raceme on long, mostly erect and strong flowering stems. Flowers slightly fragrant; tepals not persistent; gynoecium persistent. Flowers face mostly upright.Natural flowering season.—Plants flower in June in The Netherlands. Plants can be flowered year-round in the greenhouse and forced to bloom about 60 to 65 days after planting bulbs.Flower longevity on the plant.—About 10 to 14 days.Flower buds.—Length: About 8 cm. Diameter: About 1.7 cm. Circumference: About 5.3 cm. Shape: Elliptic. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 34B to 34A.Flowers.—Quantity of flowers per flowering stem: Freely flowering; about eight to ten. Shape: Funnel-shaped. When fully opened, flowers flatten and reflex slightly. Diameter: About 15 cm. Depth (height): About 4 cm.Perianth.—Quantity/arrangement: Six tepals per flower; imbricate. Tepal length, inner and outer tepals: About 7 cm. Tepal width, inner tepals: About 3.5 cm. Tepal width, outer tepals: About 2.5 cm. Tepal shape: Lanceolate. Tepal apex: Acute. Tepal margin: Entire. Tepal texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; leathery. Tepal color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface: 42B; towards the margins, 45B; towards the base, 42D; venation, 39A. When opening and fully opened, lower surface: 35B; towards the margins, 44C; towards the base, 35A.Pedicels.—Angle: About 55 to 65° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Length: About 3 to 4 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: 146A.Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Six. Filament length: About 5 cm. Filament color: Towards the apex, 39A; towards the base, 39C. Anther length: About 2 cm. Anther color: 169B. Pollen color: 169B. Pistils: Quantity per flower: One. Style length: About 3.8 cm. Style color: 34C. Stigma color: 33B.Fruits/seeds.—Fruit and seed development has not been observed.Disease/pest resistance: Some resistance to Botrytis and Pythium has been observed on plants of the new Asiatic Hybrid Lily. Resistance to pest and other pathogens common to Asiatic Hybrid Lilies has not been determined.