Abstract:
A chrysanthemum plant named ‘CHEOPS’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with pink ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date August 21-27; blooming for a period of 4 weeks.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     ‘CHEOPS’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a daisy type flower, a natural season flower date around August 21-27; blooming for a period of 4 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant ‘CHEOPS’ is a seedling resulting from the open pollination among groups of chrysanthemum cultivars maintained under the control of the inventor for breeding purposes. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by Rob Noodelijk on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, Holland in September, 1997. The plant has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in greenhouses at Rijsenhout, Holland. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type. 
     FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom. 
     FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar. 
     FIG. 3 shows the various stages of foliage and petiole of the new cultivar. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification  Chrysanthemum morifolium . The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, Holland under natural day length and temperature and planted week 22 in 1998 and 1999. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 21-27 (week 34). The average height of the plants was 30-35 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insects resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought resistiance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with pink ray florets and a yellow disc-florets blooming for a period of 4 weeks. 
     From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘CHEOPS’ is ‘MEGAN’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,756). When ‘MEGAN’ and ‘CHEOPS’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘MEGAN’ and ‘CHEOPS’ are (1) Natural blooming date. ‘CHEOPS’ flowers much earlier. (2) Flower shape. ‘MEGAN’ has more ray-florets (duplex daisy). (3) Flower color. The flower color of ‘MEGAN’ is more dark. 
     The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘CHEOPS’ as a new and distinct variety. 
     The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995. 
     Table 1: Botanical Description of Cultivar ‘Cheops’ 
     Bud: 
       Size.— Medium; cross-section 1.2 cm, height 1.0 cm. 
       Outside color.— Purple 75 B. 
       Involucral bracts.— 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm. 
       Involucral bracts among disc - florets.— Not present. 
       Involucral bracts color.— Green 138 A. 
     Bloom: 
       Type.— Daisy. 
       Height.— Flat, 1.4-1.6 cm. 
       Size.— Medium. 
       Fully expanded.— 5.5-6.0 cm. 
       Number of blooms per branch.— Approx. 4-5 blooms per branch. 
       Performance on the plant.— 4 weeks. 
       Seeds  ( if crossed ).—Produced in large quantities, oval shaped. Grey-brown 199 A, 2 mm in length. 
       Fragrance.— Typical chrysanthemum, slight. 
     Color: 
       Center of the flower  ( disc - florets ).—Mature yellow-orange 16 A. 
       Color of upper surface of the ray - florets.— Red-purple 74 D. 
       Color of the lower surface of the ray - florets.— Purple 75 B. 
       Tonality from distance.— A garden mum with pink flowers and a yellow disc. 
       Color of the upper surface of the flowers after aging of the plant.— Purple 75 D. 
     Ray florets: 
       Texture.— Upper and under side smooth. 
       Number.— 36-40. 
       Cross - section.— Flat. 
       Longitudinal axis of majority.— Straight. 
       Length of corolla tube.— Very short, 0.3-0.5 cm. 
       Ray - floret margin.— Entire. 
       Ray - floret length.— 2.0-2.4 cm. 
       Ray - floret width.— 0.5-0.9 cm. 
       Ratio length/width.— Medium. 
       Shape of tip.— Rounded sometimes dentate. 
     Disc florets: 
       Disc diameter.— 1.2-1.4 cm. 
       Distribution of disc florets.— Numerous, clearly visible at all stages of flowering. 
       Shape.— Tubular. 
       Color.— Yellow-green 153 A. 
       Receptacle shape.— Conical raised. 
     Reproductive organs: 
       Stamen  ( present in disc florets only ).—Thick, 4 mm in length. 
       Stamen color.— Yellow-green 153 A. 
       Pollen.— Present. 
       Pollen color.— Yellow-orange 16 A. 
       Styles.— Thin. 
       Style color.— Yellow-green 144 A. 
       Style length.— 4 mm. 
       Stigmas color.— Yellow-green 144 A. 
       Stigma width.— 1 mm. 
       Ovaries.— Enclosed in calyx. 
     Plant: 
       Shape.— Grown as a spray-type pot-mum, outdoor rounded to flat. 
       Growth habit.— Spreading. 
       Growth rate.— Moderate. 
       Height.— 30-35 cm. 
       Width.— 28-30 cm. 
       Stem color.— Green 138 A. 
       Stem strength.— Strong. 
       Stem brittleness.— Present. 
       Stem anthocyanin coloration.— Present, a thin layer of greyed-red 181 A mainly at the base of the stem. 
       Length of lateral branch.— From top to bottom 10-12 cm. 
       Lateral branch color.— Green 138 A. 
       Lateral branch, attachment.— Strong. 
       Branching  ( average number of lateral branches ).—Prolific with 5-6 breaks after pinching. 
       Peduncle length.— 2.0-2.2 cm. 
       Peduncle color.— Green 138 A. 
       Natural season blooming date.— August 21-27. 
     Foliage: 
       Color of mature leaves.— Upper side green 137 A. Under side green 137 C. 
       Color of immature leaves.— Upper side green 137 A. Under side green 137 C. 
       Size.— Very small; length 4.5 cm, width 4.0 cm. 
       Quantity  ( number per lateral branch ).—8-10. 
       Shape.— Ovate. 
       Texture upper side.— Glabrous. 
       Texture under side.— Pubescent. 
       Venation arrangement.— Palmate. 
       Shape of the margin.— Serrated. 
       Shape of base of sinus between lateral lobes.— Acute. 
       Margin of sinus between lateral lobes.— Converging. 
       Shape of base.— Truncate sometimes asymmetrical. 
       Apex.— Cuspidate. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Differences with the comparison varieties 
               
               
                 (when grown under the same conditions) 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 ‘CHEOPS’ 
                 ‘MEGAN’ 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Natural blooming date 
                 21-27 August 
                 20-24 September 
               
               
                   
                 Flower shape 
                 Daisy 
                 Duplex daisy 
               
               
                   
                 Flower color 
                 Red-purple 74 D 
                 Red-purple 72 C