Daylily plant named &#8216;When My Sweetheart Returns&#8217;

A new and distinct Hemerocallis cultivar of the dormant type named &#8216;When My Sweetheart Returns&#8217; is provided. The new cultivar is very floriferous and forms attractive light creamy-lemon blossoms with a rose-colored eye over an extended period of time that commonly begins during mid-June and commonly ends during early to mid-October in USDA Hardiness Zone No. 7. The new plant readily forms fans and readily forms a number of scapes per fan. The new cultivar is particularly well suited for growing as distinctive colorful ornamentation in the landscape.

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

cv. When My Sweetheart Returns .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Hemerocallis plant of the dormant type, and hereinafter is referred to by the cultivar name When My Sweetheart Returns .

The new cultivar is the product of a planned breeding program which had as its objective the creation of a new Daylily cultivar that is intended for use as attractive ornamentation in the landscape.

The cross that resulted in the production of the new cultivar of the present invention was carried out in a controlled environment during July, 1993, at Bridgeton, N.J., U.S.A. The female parent (i.e., the seed parent) of the new cultivar was the Janice Brown cultivar (non-patented in the United States) which displays bright pink flowers with a rose eye zone having a diameter of approximately 12 cm and fragile tepals that lack resistance to sunlight.

The male parent (i.e., the pollen parent) of the new cultivar was the Pink Recurrence cultivar (non-patented in the United States) which displays pink flowers with a red eye zone and fragile tepals that lack resistance to sunlight. Each of the parent plants is registered with the American Hemerocallis Society.

The parentage of the new cultivar of the present invention can be summarized as follows:

Janice Brown Pink Recurrence .

The seeds resulting from the above pollination were sown and small plantlets were obtained which were physically and biologically different from each other. A number of such plants were transplanted into the field at Bridgeton, N.J., U.S.A. during May 1994. Selective study during June 1996 resulted in the identification of a single plant of the new cultivar.

It was found that the new Hemerocallis cultivar of the present invention is of the dormant type and:

(a) Forms attractive light creamy-lemon flowers having a rose-colored eye zone, substantial substance, and a funnel-shaped form,

(b) Possesses a long blooming season with substantially continuous blooming,

(c) Exhibits a propensity to readily display a plurality of fans, and

(d) Readily forms a plurality of scapes per fan over the flowering season.

The When My Sweetheart Returns cultivar resembles some well-known cultivars, such as the Stella D' Oro cultivar (non-patented in the United States) and the Happy Returns cultivar (non-patented in the United States) in the sense that it commonly possesses an extremely long and substantially continuous blooming season of up to approximately 105 days in USDA Hardiness Zone No. 7. Such blooming commonly begins during mid-June and commonly ends during early to mid-October. This compares to a bloom period of less than about 30 days for over 99 percent of the hybrid Daylilies that are known to the inventor.

As indicated, When My Sweetheart Returns exhibits attractive light creamy-lemon flowers with a rose-colored eye zone that readily can be distinguished from the orange-yellow flowers of the Stella D' Oro cultivar and the medium yellow flowers of the Happy Returns cultivar. To the best of the knowledge of the originator When My Sweetheart Returns is the first long and substantially continuous blooming Daylily having light creamy-lemon flowers with a rose-colored eye zone.

The new cultivar can form up to 6 to 7 or more fans per year. This compares to approximately 6 to 8 fans per year for the Stella D' Oro cultivar and the Happy Returns cultivar. Most Daylily cultivars form only approixmately 2 to 3 fans per year. Also, the new cultivar commonly forms several scapes per fan during the flowering season, unlike most Daylilies that commonly produce only one scape per fan.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by division was initially carried out on Sep. 16, 1996 at Bridgeton, N.J., U.S.A. At the time of such asexual reproduction the original plant of the new cultivar consisted of a clump of six to seven fans that were phenotypically identical to each other. More specifically, the clump of the new cultivar was removed from the field and the fans were divided. It has been demonstrated that the characteristics of the new cultivar are firmly fixed and are well retained following this asexual reproduction.

When My Sweetheart Returns has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in the environment, such as temperature, light, day length, contact with pesticides, etc.

The new cultivar is being marketed beginning in 2002 while bearing the HAPPY EVER APPSTER trademark.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The chart used in the identification of colors described herein is The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England. In some instances, more common color terms are provided and are to be accorded their usual dictionary significance. The original plant of the new cultivar is described when observed during June 1996 when approximately one year of age and while growing at Bridgeton, N.J., U.S.A. under field growing conditions.

Height. Approximately 59 cm at an age of one year.

Width. Approximately 45 cm at an age of one year.

Foliage. Form: single stem, substantially erect scapes from a fan-shaped base having narrow arching, long, keeled, grass-like glabrous leaves that are two-ranked at the base of the scape. Quantity: abundant, with a mature plant commonly having approximately 12 to 16 leaves per fan. Leaf size: commonly approximately 1.75 cm in width on average and approximately 60 cm in length on average. Leaf shape: linear and long-keeled (as illustrated in FIG. 1 ) with entire margins. Texture: glabrous Color: Green Group 137A on the upper surface, and Green Group 137B on the under surface. Type: dormant with the plant losing all of its foliage during the winter.

Disease resistance. Typical of Hemerocallis with no problems having been observed to date.

Bud. Form: modified oblanceolate (as illustrated in FIG. 1 ). Size: on the day prior to opening commonly approximately 7.5 cm in length on average and approximately 1.3 cm in width on average. Color: Yellow-Green Group 153C. Opening rate: commonly approximately three hours on average. Outer tepal color: when the tepals first divide, Yellow Group 13D with an eye zone of Claret Rose, Red Group 50C. Peduncle character: rigid and sturdy. Peduncle diameter: Approximately 5 mm. Peduncle color: Green Group 137A.

Flower. Size: commonly has a diameter of approximately 10 cm on average and a depth of approximately 5 cm on average. Borne: singly on the branchlets of a sturdy erect rachis which is ramulose. Each scape commonly has at least three peduncles, each of which divides into approximately eight pedicels. Blooms per scape: commonly ranges from 1 to 3 each day. Tepalage: each flower consists of six perianth segments wherein there are three outer tepals and three inner tepals all in an imbricated arrangement. Outer tepal shape: oblanceolate with slightly undulated entire margins and an acuminate apex. Outer tepal texture: smooth. Outer tepal size: commonly approximately 7 cm in length on average and approximately 3.8 cm in width on average. Outer tepal color: on the upper surface Yellow-Orange Group 20C with an eye zone of Claret Rose, Red Group 50C, and Yellow-Green Group 144B and Yellow-Green Group 151C towards the base, and on the under surface Yellow-Orange Group 15C. Outer tepal apex: acute. Outer tepal margin: minutely wavy. Inner tepal shape: broadly obovate with undulated margins. Inner tepal texture: smooth. Inner tepal size: commonly approximately 7 cm in length on average and approximately 4.3 cm in width on average. Inner tepal color: on the upper surface Yellow-Orange Group 20C with an eye zone of Red Group 50C, and Yellow-Green Group 144B and Yellow-Green Group 151C towards the base, and on the under surface Yellow-Orange Group 15C. Pedicel length: commonly approximately 4 mm. Pedicel diameter: commonly approximately 3 mm. Pedicel color: commonly Yellow-Green Group 153C. Blooming habit: the flowers commonly bloom substantially continuously and the scape commonly is substantially continuously in bloom for up to approximately 105 days per year in Hardiness Zone No. 7. Effects of weather: the flowers will withstand rain damage in view of the strength of the tepals. Lasting quality: commonly at least 16 hours. As with other Hemerocallis cultivars known to the inventor, the flower color eventually fades somewhat during the day with the natural effects of environmental conditions and ongoing maturity. Fragrance: very slight.

Fruit. Configuration: the seed pod is in the form of an ovoid capsule. Color: at maturity commonly is Green Group 139D. Fertility: the seeds are fertile.