Patent Publication Number: US-PP25368-P2

Title: Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Alicante Surfer’

Description:
Botanical designation:  Chrysanthemum×morifolium.    
     Cultivar denomination: ‘ALICANTE SURFER’. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant, botanically known as  Chrysanthemum×morifolium  and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Alicante Surfer’. 
     The new  Chrysanthemum  plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniform and freely-flowering hardy  Chrysanthemum  plants with attractive inflorescence form and floret coloration. 
     The new  Chrysanthemum  plant originated from a cross- pollination made by the Inventor in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2008, of  Chrysanthemum×morifolium  ‘Pianello’, not patented, as the female, or seed parent with  Chrysanthemum×morifolium  ‘Tiana’, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new  Chrysanthemum  plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2009. 
     Asexual reproduction of the new  Chrysanthemum  plant by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2010. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new  Chrysanthemum  plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions 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 ‘Alicante Surfer’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Alicante Surfer’ as a new and distinct  Chrysanthemum  plant:
         1. Uniform, upright, broadly spreading and mounding plant habit; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit.   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.   3. Early, uniform and freely flowering habit.   4. Relatively small decorative-type inflorescences with pure white-colored ray florets.   5. Good garden performance.       

     Plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  differ primarily from the female parent, ‘Pianello’, in response time. Under natural season conditions in Belgium, plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  flower about September 10 th  whereas plants of ‘Pianello’ flower about October 15 th . 
     Plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  also differ from the male parent, ‘Tiana’, in response time. Under natural season conditions in Belgium, plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  flower about September 10 th  whereas plants of ‘Tiana’ flower about October 15 th . Additionally, plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  and ‘Tiana’ differ in ray floret color as plants of ‘Tiana’ have mauve-colored ray florets. 
     Plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  can be compared to plants of  Chrysanthemum×morifolium  ‘White Sea Surfer’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted under natural season conditions in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  differed from plants of ‘White Sea Surfer’ in response time as plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  flowered about September 10 th  whereas plants of ‘White Sea Surfer’ flowered about October 15 th . Additionally, plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  and ‘White Sea Surfer’ differed in ray floret color as plants of ‘White Sea Surfer’ had creamy white-colored ray florets. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS 
       The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new  Chrysanthemum  plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new  Chrysanthemum  plant. 
       The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Alicante Surfer’ grown in a container. 
       The photograph on the second sheet are close-up views of the upper and lower surfaces of typical inflorescences (left) and upper and lower surfaces of typical leaves (right) of ‘Alicante Surfer’. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION 
     The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the summer and autumn in 17-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium and under conditions and cultural practices typical of commercial  Chrysanthemum  production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 25° C. and night temperatures ranged from 5° C. to 15° C. Plants were 5.5 months old when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.
     Botanical classification:  Chrysanthemum×morifolium  ‘Alicante Surfer’.   Parentage:
             Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium  ‘Pianello’, not patented.     Male or pollen parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium  ‘Tiana’, not patented.       
       Propagation:
             Type .—Terminal vegetative cuttings.     Time to initiate roots, summer .—About 14 days at temperatures about 20° C.     Time to initiate roots, winter .—About 20 days at temperatures about 20° C.     Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer .—About 30 days at temperatures about 20° C.     Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter .—About 40 days at temperatures about 20° C.     Root description .—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.     Rooting habit .—Freely branching; medium density.       
       Plant description:
             Plant and growth habit .—Perennial  Chrysanthemum  plant with decorative type inflorescences; stems upright and broadly spreading giving a uniformly mounding appearance to the plant; very freely branching habit with about 150 lateral branches developing per plant; pinching enhances lateral branch development; dense and full plant habit; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit.     Plant height .—About 38.7 cm.     Plant width .—About 58.8 cm.     Lateral branches .—Length: About 15.4 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Internode length: About 1.4 cm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: Lateral branches positioned about 60° from the main stem. Texture: Densely pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to 144A.     Leaves .—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 4.7 cm. Width: About 3.1 cm. Shape: Broadly ovate; three to five-lobed. Apex: Abruptly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and coarsely dentate, sinuses slightly convergent to parallel. Texture, upper surface: Moderately pubescent. Texture, lower surface: Densely pubescent. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to N137A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137A to N137B; venation, close to 144A. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to 146A to 146B. Petioles: Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm by 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Densely pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 146B. Color, lower surface: Close to 146A to 146B.       
       Inflorescence description:
             Form and arrangement .—Decorative inflorescence form; relatively small inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.     Fragrance .—Faintly fragrant, pungent.     Flowering response .—Under natural season conditions, plants begin flowering about September 10 th  in Belgium.     Postproduction longevity .—Inflorescences maintain good color and substance for about three weeks in an outdoor nursery; inflorescences not persistent.     Quantity of inflorescences .—About eleven inflorescences develop per lateral branch; about 1,500 inflorescences develop per plant.     Inflorescence buds .—Height: About 4 mm. Diameter: About 5.5 mm. Shape: Flattened globular. Color: Close to 138A; margins of phyllaries, close to 138D.     Inflorescence diameter .—About 3.2 cm.     Inflorescence depth  ( height ).—About 1.5 cm.     Disc diameter .—About 2 mm.     Receptacle diameter .—About 3 mm.     Receptacle height .—About 3 mm.     Receptacle color .—Close to 146C to 146D.     Ray florets .—Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 150 arranged in about nine whorls. Length: About 1.4 cm. Width: About 4 mm. Shape: Narrowly ovate to narrowly oblong. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Aspect: About 50° from vertical. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; velvety; very slightly longitudinally ridged. Texture, lower surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly velvety; slightly longitudinally ridged. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to NN155A; towards the base, close to 144A. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to NN155A; color does not change with development.     Disc florets .—Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About two at the center of the inflorescence. Length: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Shape: Lower 75% fused into a tube; free apices are acute. Texture, inner and outer surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Towards the apex, close to 7C; mid-section, close to 150D; and towards the base, close to 145B to 145C.     Phyllaries .—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 20 arranged in about two whorls. Length: About 5.5 mm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Oblong to ovate. Apex: Bluntly acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 143A; margins, close to N199A to N199B. Color, lower surface: Close to 137A to 137B; margins, close to N199A to N199B.     Peduncles .—Length, terminal peduncle: About 9.1 cm. Length, fourth peduncle: About 8.7 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Aspect: Erect to about 30° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely pubescent. Color: Close to 138B.     Reproductive organs .—Androecium: Present only on disc florets. Number of stamens per floret: Five. Filament length: About 1 mm. Filament color: Close to 150D. Anther length: About 1.2 mm. Anther shape: Narrowly oblong. Anther color: Close to 154D. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 13A. Gynoecium: Present on ray and disc florets. Number of pistils per floret: One. Pistil length: About 4 mm. Style length: About 3 mm. Style color: Close to 150D. Stigma shape: Cleft, decurrent. Stigma color: Close to 11A. Ovary color: Close to 145B.     Seeds and fruits .—Seed and fruit development have not been observed on plants of the new  Chrysanthemum.          
       Disease &amp; pest resistance: Plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to  Chrysanthemum  plants grown under commercial conditions.   Garden performance: Plants of the new  Chrysanthemum  have good garden performance, are hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 8 and tolerate high temperatures of about 35° C.