<i>Perovskia </i>plant named ‘Prime Time’

Abstract

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental, hardy, Russian Sage plant, Perovskia ‘Prime Time’ with medium height, dense habit of strong erect stems that remain upright through the growing season. The new plant is vigorous with many large, densely-arranged, rich lavender-purple flowers on branched stems with dark purplish-red calyces. Foliage is grey-green, simple, rhombic, fragrant and is retained well throughout the growing season.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of hardy Russian sage plant, Perovskia ‘Prime Time’ as herein described and illustrated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color. The plant used in the photograph is a three-year-old plant grown in full sun field in loamy sand soil in trial gardens of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich.

(2) FIG. 1 shows the flowering habit of the new plant.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower sterns of the new plant.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(4) The following is a detailed description of Perovskia ‘Prime Time’ as observed and compared to other cultivars for three years in trial gardens and production fields at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The following description is of a three-year-old plant of Perovskia ‘Prime Time’ in a full-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. with limited irrigation as needed and without any pinching or plant growth regulators. The new plant has not been observed under all possible environments, and the phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The color descriptions are in accordance with the 2015 edition of The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, except where common dictionary color terms are used. Plant habit: Upright and dense mound; heavily oppositely branched; deciduous, semi-woody sub-shrub usually dying to the ground in most Michigan winters and re-sprouting with new stems from the base each spring; about 38 stems per plant; Plant size: To about 110 cm in height and about 115 cm in width at the widest point about 30 cm above soil; Root description: Fibrous; color nearest RHS 155D; Propagation: Stem cuttings; root initiation occurs in about 14 days at a temperature of 20° C.; Growth rate: Vigorous; Crop time: About 10 to 14 weeks to produce flowering plant from rooted plug; Stem description: Quadrangular; oppositely branched; young portions farinose; older stems becoming woody at base; average about 102 cm long and about 16 mm across near base; about 18 branches per stem; with herbal fragrance; Stem color: Nearest RHS 189D; Internode length: Average 2.5 cm; Internode color: Same as surrounding stem; Branches: Quadrangular; opposite; farinose; held about 45° angle above horizontal; lower branches about 18 cm long and about 1.2 mm diameter at base, decreasing distally to upper branches about 6 cm long and about 1 mm diameter; Branch color: Nearest RHS 189D; Foliage description: Opposite; rhombic; simple; acute apex; cuneate base; margin irregularly crenate; micro-farinose on abaxial and adaxial surface; with herbal fragrance; Leaf size: To about 37 mm long and about 19 mm wide near middle, shorter in distal region, average about 35 mm long and about 16 mm wide; Leaf color: Young adaxial nearest RHS 191B, abaxial nearest RHS 191B; mature adaxial nearest RHS N138B and abaxial between RHS N138B and RHS N138C; Leaf venation: Pinnate; farinose adaxial and costate and farinose abaxial; Vein color: Young adaxial nearest RHS 188C and abaxial nearest RHS 190B; mature adaxial midrib and secondary veins nearest RHS 194A; abaxial midrib between RHS 148C and RHS 148D with secondary veins nearest RHS 147C; Petiole: Slightly concavo-convex, glabrous; sessile to about 6 mm long and about 1 mm across, average about 4.5 mm long and about 1 mm across at base; Petiole color: Adaxial nearest RHS 189A; abaxial between RHS 193A and RHS 194B; Peduncle: Main stems vertical, branched verticillate panicle; about 10 cm tall above last branch and flowering to about 36 cm long and 18 cm wide and about 2 cm across above last branch; Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 189D; Pedicel: Cylindrical; pubescent; curved slightly downward; about 1 mm long and 0.5 mm diameter; Pedicel color: Variable depending on light exposure, high light nearest RHS N77D and low light nearest RHS 138A; Flower buds about one day prior to opening: Terete to oblong; rounded apex; rounded base; abaxial calyx with dense pubescence about 1.0 mm long; about 6 mm long and about 2 mm diameter near apex; Bud color: Abaxial calyx hairs nearest RHS N81C; calyx between RHS 138B and RHS 138C with strong blush on dorsal side nearest RHS 83A; extended unopened petal between RHS 93B and RHS N89D; Flowers: Perfect; complete; zygomorphic; borne in verticils; bilabiate with upper and lower lip fused in about basal 6.5 mm; about 13 mm long to exserted style, about 9 mm tall and about 8 mm across; face opening to nearly flat; Inflorescence: Flowering in distal 36 cm and 18 cm wide; side branches with up to 14 verticils, up to 20 flowers per verticil, up to 210 flowers per branch, main center stem with up to 70 flowers per verticil and 600 flowers total up to 2000 flowers per total inflorescence stem; Flower attitude: Outwardly to slightly drooping; Fragrance: Slight herbal; Corolla: Bilabiate; 11 mm long and 6 mm wide fused in basal 6.5 mm; upper and lower lips meet in about an 80-degree angle; adaxial and abaxial glabrous except adaxial center about 2 to 4 mm from base pubescent; Upper lip.—Four-lobed, puberulent adaxial center; glabrous abaxial; outer two lobes obtuse to ovate, 2 mm long and 2.5 mm wide at fusion, rounded apex, entire margin; inner two lobes rounded with rounded apex, 1.5 mm long and 2 mm wide. Lower lip.—Single lobe, nearly flat with rounded apex and entire margin; about 6.5 mm long and about 1.0 mm wide at fusion point; basal 6.5 mm fused into tube; tube about 2.5 mm in width; glabrous abaxial, adaxial throat puberulent. Corolla color: Adaxial nearest RHS 93B with veins of nearest RHS 83A and adaxial base nearest RHS NN155D; abaxial nearest RHS 92 and base nearest RHS NN155D; Gynoecium: One pistil; about 11.5 mm long; Style.—About 11 mm long and about 0.3 mm diameter; proximal color distally nearest RHS 91B with the basal 1 mm nearest RHS NN155C. Stigma.—Bifid in the terminal 0.5 mm, about 0.2 mm across; color white nearest RHS NN155D. Ovary.—Oblong globose; about 1 mm long and 0.5 mm across; color between RHS 150D and RHS 145D. Androecium: Four, in two sets, two outer and two inner; Filaments.—Inner set fertile, straight, to about 5.5 mm long and 0.2 mm diameter, adnate to upper lobe of corolla in basal 1.5 mm; outer set sterile, arcuate upward, to about 5 mm long and 0.3 mm diameter, arcuate in distal 2.5 mm; color both sets white, nearest RHS NN155D. Anther.—Fertile on inner filaments — elliptic, versatile, longitudinal, about 1 mm long and 0.5 mm across, color nearest RHS N187C; sterile outer pair — globose, vestigial, about 0.2 mm diameter; color nearest RHS NN155D. Pollen.—Abundant on fertile anthers; color nearest RHS NN155C. Calyx: Tubular campanulate; about 5 mm long and about 2.2 mm across (without hairs) at apex; Sepals: Five; 5 mm long with upper three lobes split in distal 0.5 mm and lower two lobes split in distal 0.2 mm; apices acute; fused in basal 4 mm; lobe apices acute; margin entire; abaxial densely pubescent and glandular with hairs about 1.0 mm long, adaxial glabrous; persistent for weeks after flower abscission and drop; Sepal color: Variable; adaxial nearest RHS 146C, and nearest RHS N79A with undertone of nearest RHS 146A; abaxial nearest RHS 138A and between RHS 83A and N79A; abaxial hairs nearest RHS N81C; Seed: Spatulate in outline, rounded apex and attenuate base; up to four per flower, typically one per flower; about 2 mm long and about 1 mm diameter at widest portion and about 0.5 mm thick; color nearest RHS 200A; Winter hardiness: At least to U.S.D.A. zone 4; Growth: Highly resistant to drought once established; grows best in full-sun; Pest and disease resistance: Russian sage is typically resistant to deer and rodent browsing. The new plant is less prone to yellowing foliage and lower leaf drop than other known Russian sage cultivars. No other susceptibility or resistance to diseases or pests has been observed except that which is common to Perovskia.