Patent Publication Number: US-PP15820-P2

Title: Poinsettia plant named ‘Duemerlot’

Description:
Botanical classification/cultivar denomination:  Euphorbia pulcherrima  Willd. cultivar Duemerlot. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant, botanically known as  Euphorbia pulcherrima  Willd., and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Duemerlot’. 
   The new Poinsettia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Poinsettia cultivars with uniform plant habit and attractive flower bract coloration. 
   The new Poinsettia originated is a naturally occurring whole plant mutation of a proprietary selection of  Euphorbia pulcherrima  Willd. identified as code number E-05-20, not patented. The cultivar Duemerlot was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within a population of plants of the parent selection in a controlled environment in Rheinberg, Germany in January, 2002. 
   Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by vegetative terminal cuttings at Rheinberg, Germany since September, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Duemerlot’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Duemerlot’ as a new and distinct cultivar:
         1. Inflorescences with dark red-colored flower bracts.   2. Dark green-colored leaves.   3. Uniform and rounded plant habit.   4. Early flowering; response time, about seven weeks.   5. Excellent post-production longevity.       

   Compared to plants of the parent selection, plants of the new Poinsettia more compact, have darker red-colored flower bracts and have more cyathia per corymb. 
   Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Cortez Burgundy, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Rheinberg, Germany, plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Cortez Burgundy in the following characteristics:
         1. Plants of the new Poinsettia had smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Cortez Burgundy.   2. Plants of the new Poinsettia flowered earlier than plants of the cultivar Cortez Burgundy.   3. Plants of the new Poinsettia and the cultivar Cortez Burgundy differed in flower bract coloration.       

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH 
     The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Poinsettia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Poinsettia. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a single flowering plant of ‘Duemerlot’ grown in a container. 
   

   DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION 
   The new Poinsettia has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype. 
   The aforementioned photograph, following observations and averaged measurements describe plants grown in Rheinberg, Germany during the winter under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with day and night temperatures about 22° C. and light levels about 4,500 lux. Single plants were grown in 13-cm pots and pinched once about five weeks after planting. Plants were flowered under natural season short day/long night conditions. Plants were about 16 weeks from unrooted cuttings when the photographs and the detailed botanical description were taken. 
   In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.
     Botanical classification:  Euphorbia pulcherrima  Willd. cultivar Duemerlot.   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a proprietary selection of  Euphorbia pulcherrima  Willd. identified as code number E-05-20, not patented.   Propagation:
             Type cutting.— Vegetative terminal cuttings.     Time to initiate roots.— Summer: About 9 days at 22° C. Winter: About 13 days at 22° C.     Time to develop roots.— Summer: About three weeks at 22° C. Winter: About four weeks at 22° C.     Root description.— Moderately thick, fibrous, fleshy and white in color.     Rooting habit.— Freely branching.       
       Plant description:
             Plant form.— Inverted triangle, top of plant rounded.     Growth habit.— Upright and uniform plant habit.     Plant height.— About 26.3 cm.     Plant diameter or spread.— About 30.7 cm.     Lateral branch description.— Quantity per plant: About five to six lateral branches develop after pinching. Length: About 11.3 cm. Diameter: About 5.5 mm. Internode length: About 1.25 cm. Color: 137A.     Foliage description.— Arrangement: Alternate, single. Length: About 10.1 cm. Width: About 6.5 cm. Shape: Mostly ovate with irregular lobing. Apex: Apiculate. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth. Surface: Mostly flat. Color: Developing foliage, upper surface: 139A. Developing foliage, lower surface: 137C. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 139A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 138A. Venation, upper surface: 183C. Venation, lower surface: 183B. Petiole: Length: About 4.3 cm. Diameter: About 2.2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 183A to 183B.       
       Inflorescence description:
             Inflorescence type and habit.— Inflorescences are compound corymbs of cyathia with colored flower bracts subtending the cyathia. Inflorescences are not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent. Natural flowering season: Autumn/winter in Northern Hemisphere. Flower initiation and development is induced under long nyctoperiod conditions. Response time, about seven weeks. Post-production longevity: Plants of the new Poinsettia maintain good substance and bract color for about eight weeks under interior conditions and about twelve weeks under greenhouse conditions. Quantity of inflorescences per plant: One per lateral branch, about six.     Inflorescence size.— Diameter: About 15 to 20 cm. Height: (depth): About 3 cm.     Flower bracts.— Quantity of flower bracts per inflorescence. About 15. Length, largest bracts: About 9.5 cm. Width, largest bracts: About 6.5 cm. Shape: Mostly ovate with irregular lobing. Apex: Apiculate. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, velvety. Surface: Mostly flat, slighty rugose. Orientation: Mostly horizontal. Color: Developing bracts, upper surface: 187B to 187C. Developing bracts, lower surface: 185A. Fully developed bracts, upper surface: 53A; color becoming closer to 53B to 53C with development. Fully developed bracts, lower surface: 53B. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Same as lamina. Flower bract petiole: Length: About 2.1 cm. Diameter: About 2.2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Grabrous, smooth. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 187B.     Cyathia.— Quantity of cyathia per corymb: About ten. Diameter of cyathia cluster: About 3.5 cm. Length: About 5.4 mm. Diameter: About 4.6 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Color, immature and mature: 143A. Peduncle: Length: About 2.8 mm. Diameter: About 1.8 mm. Strength/aspect: Strong, curved. Color: 143B. Stamens: Quantity of stamens per cyathiaum: About 29. Anther shape: Oval. Anther length: About 0.5 mm. Anther color: 187A. Amount of pollen: Moderate. Pollen color: 14A. Pistils: Quantity of pistis per cyathium: One. Pistil length: About 6.3 mm. Style length: About 2 mm. Style color: 144B. Stigma color: 59A. Ovary color: 144A. Nectaries: Quantity of nectaries per cyathium: One. Length: About 3.6 mm. Color: 15A.       
       Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Poinsettias has not been observed on plants grown under commercial conditions.   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Poinsettia have been observed to tolerate temperatures from 12 to 40° C.