Hybrid Asiatic lily named Ruby Pixie

A new variety of hybrid lily plant of very short stature, about 35 to 45 cm. in height, bearing clusters of flowers of medium size particularly characterized by their vivid red coloration, broad tepals, and inconspicuous spotting, the flowers being of upright orientation and the plant having abundant foliage comprising moderately long and full leaves. The short stature of this plant, its abundant foliage and its upright flower orientation make it especially suitable as a pot plant variety and its color pattern and silhouette are completely new in the upright Asiatic divisions of lilies suited to forcing and to mass commercial cultivation. The plant is highly resistant to disease and shows high tolerance of virus, it is an excellent garden plant, and the bulbs may be precooled and forced throughout the year for pot plant production, the clone being vigorous and a good grower and propagator.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This new variety of lily plant originated as a seedling selected from a 
group of seedlings planted by me at Sandy, Oreg., with seeds resulting 
from my crossing of a very short, cream-flowered clonal selection from the 
`Pastel Hybrids` strain with pollen from a red-orange flowered seedling 
from `Connecticut Lemonglow` by `Red Carpet`, with the object of producing 
lilies in shades of orange and red well suited to forcing for pot plant 
production out-of-season. This particular seedling was selected for 
propagation and test because of the large size of its flowers having broad 
tepals, a vivid red coloration, and extremely inconspicuous spotting, this 
color pattern being unique in this type of lily. Asexual propagation of 
this seedling was done by me and under my direction at Sandy, Oreg., and 
carried on through several successive generations by bulb scale 
propagation and by natural propagation of bulblets, which demonstrated 
that the novel and distinctive characteristics of the selected seedling 
are fixed and hold true under asexual propagation from generation to 
generation. 
Work with this new plant shows that the variety remains short and is not 
overly susceptible to bud abortion when forced into flower out-of-season 
as a pot plant. In addition, the clone possesses to a high degree the 
desirable characteristics of hybrid vigor, great hardiness, and disease 
resistance, as well as having all of the desired characteristics of 
excellence of form, color and habit. 
The plant has shown that it is well suited to forcing out-of-season when 
the bulbs are dug at the appropriate time and properly precooled. For 
example, October-dug bulbs, properly precooled and potted in January, will 
flower under glass in western Oregon in an average of sixty-five to eighty 
days with no supplementary lighting and at moderate greenhouse 
temperatures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY 
The following is a detailed description of my new variety of Asiatic hybrid 
lily with nomenclature according to The International Lily Register, 
Second Edition, 1969, by The Royal Horticultural Society of London, 
England, the color designations herein specified being according to The 
R.H.S. Colour Chart published by the society in 1966. 
THE PLANT 
Origin: Seedling. 
Parentage: 
Seed parent.--A short, cream-flowered clonal selection from a collection of 
Lilium `Pastel Hybrids` plants. 
Pollen parent.--A red-orange flowered selection from seedlings of 
`Connecticut Lemonglow` (unpatented) by `Red Carpet` (unpatented). 
Classification: 
Horticultural.--Division IA, Upright Asiatic Hybrid Lily from The 
Horticultural Classification of Lilies by The Royal Horticultural Society 
of London. 
Commercial.--Hybrid Lilium Clone. 
Form: Single stem, erect and stately. 
Height: About 35 to 45 cm. for stems produced by glasshouse forcing of 
bulbs of about 12 to 18 cm. in circumference; provided that their light 
levels are adequate. Low light levels may cause "stretching". 
Growth: Vigorous and upright. 
Foliage: 
Quantity.--Abundant. 
Leaf size.--About 8 to 12 cm. long and 1 cm. wide. 
Leaf shape.--Lanceolate with acuminate tip. 
Texture.--Leathery. 
Aspect.--Glossy. 
Color.--Medium green, lighter on the under side. 
The bulb: 
Size.--Various, ranging to 25 cm. in circumference as commercially used. 
Color.--White. 
THE BUD 
Form: Long ovoid with obtuse tip. 
Size: About 8 to 9 cm. long and about 7 cm. in circumference just prior to 
opening. 
Opening rate: The bud opens slowly, in about one hour in response to 
morning light. 
Color: Red, 43B-C, at the center portion of the bud and slightly lighter at 
the apex and base of the bud just prior to opening and as the tepals 
unfurl. 
Peduncle: 
Length.--About 4 to 6 cm., in average. The peduncle may elongate if the 
light levels are too low or if the bulbs have been improperly stored prior 
to forcing. 
Color.--Medium green. 
THE FLOWER 
Blooming habit: Once annually and profusely in midseason. 
Size: 
Average diameter.--About 12 to 17 cm. 
Borne: As a single, compact raceme inflorescence producing about nine to 
twelve buds from a bulb of about 12 to 16 cm. in circumference. 
Shape: Cup-shaped upon first opening and flattening somewhat as the tepals 
recurve by the second day. 
Tepalage: Typical of genus Lilium with six tepals in hexagonal arrangement, 
the inner tepals alternating with the outer tepals. 
Size.--The outer tepals average about 2.5 to 3.0 cm. wide. The inner tepals 
average about 3.5 to 4.0 cm. wide. 
Shape.--Elliptical with attenuate base. 
Color.--Vivid red, with a base color of Red, 46A-B, to Red, 44A. This color 
is produced by a magenta pigment in the upper epidermal cell layers of the 
tepals, overlaying the Red-Orange, 34A-B, pigmentation of the mesophyll 
layers. This causes the red color to vary somewhat under different light 
levels and to appear to be "brushed on" more heavily in some areas. The 
tepal margins show the Red-Orange mesophyll color, 34A-B, in a band about 
1 to 2 mm. wide. The nectaries are overlaid with white pubescence. 
Spotting.--Each inner tepal has about ten to fifteen tiny, inconspicuous 
magenta spots at its base. The outer tepals are unspotted. 
Aspect: Shiny. 
Color changes: The flower may become slightly less red and more orange as 
it ages, depending upon light levels; there is usually only a slight color 
change if the light levels are adequate for cut flower and pot plant 
maintenace. 
Longevity: The tepals stay on the stems for about three weeks. 
Pedicel: 
Length.--About 4 to 8 cm., in average. 
Character.--Sturdy and ascending up to about 60.degree. from the 
horizontal. 
Color.--Medium to dark green. 
Fragrance: None. 
Lasting quality: The flower is long lasting, substantially three weeks. 
Disease resistance: The flower and plant are resistant to disease; in 
particular, they are resistant to Fusarium Bulb Rot and Botrytis Blight. 
THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 
Stamens: 
Number.--Six, with arrangement typical of genus Lilium. 
Pollen and anthers (dehisced).--Color: Greyed Orange, 169A to 171A. 
Filaments.--Length: About 5 cm. Color: Soft Red-Orange, 33B. 
Pistil: 
Number.--One. 
Style.--Length: About 5 cm. 
Stigma.--Small, about 1 to 2.5 mm. wide. Color: Soft Plum, 59C. 
Character of ovary: The ovary is characteristic of the genus Lilium. 
THE FRUIT 
Fertility: The fruit is fertile. 
Shape: Ovoid. 
Color at maturity: Soft brown, sometimes overlaid with soft plum. 
This new lily variety most closely resembles `Red Carpet` (unpatented) but 
has a richer, more red and less "brown" color, broader and thicker tepals, 
a lighter pollen color, a more compact inflorescence with shorter 
pedicels, and a higher bud count. The plant is shorter in height and with 
shorter leaves than `Red Carpet` and it is also more reliable and uniform 
in its forcing performance with the capability of being forced into flower 
much more rapidly than `Red Carpet`.