<i>Coleus </i>plant named ‘UF20-73-3’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) plant named ‘UF20-73-3’, selected for having a combination of desirable traits that make it well-suited for good performance as an annual plant in the summer landscape. ‘UF20-73-3’ was selected for its consistent foliage color patterning and for its fast growth rate and vigor in the greenhouse and landscape. ‘UF20-73-3’ has foliage that is predominantly deep purple with consistent deep pink centers, and well-defined bright lime green accents at the leaf margin. ‘UF20-73-3’ is exceptional because it maintains a strong pink center and bright leaf margins in a broad range of environmental conditions. It is a vigorous plant that can easily grow to four feet tall in the landscape in one season, maintaining similar color in both sun and shade. It is upright, spreading, highly branched and grows wider than it does tall.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Coleus scutellarioides plant named ‘UF20-73-3’ as shown and described herein.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) This new Coleus cultivar ‘UF20-73-3’ is illustrated by the accompanying photographs, which show the plant's form and foliage. The colors shown are as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures. FIGS. 2-5 were taken from plants grown ten weeks from unrooted cuttings in February-April 2022 in a glass-covered greenhouse in Gainesville, Fla.

(2) FIG. 1 shows the pedigree of the new Coleus cultivar ‘UF20-73-3’ shown and described herein;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the growth habit, form, and foliage of the new Coleus cultivar;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a close-up view of the foliage of the new Coleus cultivar;

(5) FIG. 4 shows the adaxial side of an immature leaf (left) and a mature leaf (right) of the new Coleus cultivar with corresponding R.H.S. color designations; and

(6) FIG. 5 shows the abaxial side of an immature leaf (left) and a mature leaf (right) of the new Coleus cultivar with corresponding R.H.S. color designations.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CULTIVAR

(7) Foliage color was determined under full sun conditions in the middle of the day in a glass-covered greenhouse. Color references are to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London (R.H.S.), 2007 5th Edition. Coleus leaves are rarely one solid color but encompass hues, shades and tints, and color patterns differ from one genotype to another due to varying levels of variegation. The following detailed description of ‘UF20-73-3’ was obtained using ten-week-old plants grown from unrooted cuttings in February-April 2022 in a glass-covered greenhouse in Gainesville, Fla. The plants were propagated in mist for ten days after cuttings were stuck, then grown in one-gallon pots for approximately eight and a half additional weeks.

Botanical Description

(8) Botanical classification: Family.—Lamiaceae. Botanical name.—Coleus scutellarioides. Common name.—Coleus. Cultivar.—‘UF20-73-3’. Parentage: Female or seed parent.—‘UF19-86-1’. Male or pollen parent.—Unknown. Propagation: Type cuttings.—Vegetative meristem tip cuttings having at least 1 node. Time to initiate roots.—3-4 days. Time to produce a rooted cutting.—7-10 days. Root habit.—Fibrous. Root description.—Callus forms in 2-3 days, roots initiate in 3-4 days and become a highly branched cutting in 7-10 days. Plant description: Habit.—Upright and spreading. Height (from top of soil).—30-35 cm. Width (horizontal plant diameter).—70-75 cm. Branches: Quantity per plant.—Approximately 15. Branch color.—RHS 134A (yellowish green). Texture.—Smooth. Pubescence.—Not present. Stem description.—Square-shaped stem. Branch diameter.—0.8-0.9 cm at the base of a 28-cm-long branch. Branch length.—3.5-4.0 cm measured at mid-branch. Internode length.—3.5-4.0 cm measured at mid-branch. Anthocyanin.—Not present. Leaves: Quantity of leaves per branch.—20-22. Arrangement.—Opposite. Fragrance.—Not fragrant. Shape.—Ovate. Length.—16-17 cm. Width.—10-11 cm. Apex.—Broadly acute. Base.—Attenuate. Margin.—Crenate. Leaf texture.—Upper surface: Pulverulent. Lower surface: Smooth. Venation color, mature leaf.—Upper surface, major color: RHS N79A (purplish red). Upper surface, base: RHS 150C (yellow green). Lower surface: RHS 150D (yellow green). Venation color, immature leaf.—Upper surface: RHS 61A (purplish red). Lower surface: RHS 150D (yellow green). Venation pattern.—Upper surface: Reticulate. Lower surface: Reticulate. Color, immature leaf.—Upper surface, major color: RHS N186A (purplish grey). Upper surface, edges: RHS 143A (yellow green). Upper surface, center: RHS 61B (purplish red). Upper surface, base: RHS 150C (yellow green). Lower surface, major color: RHS 143A (yellow green). Lower surface, spots around veins: RHS 61A (purplish red). Lower surface, base: RHS 150D (yellow green). Color, mature leaf.—Upper surface, major color: RHS N186A (purplish grey). Upper surface, edges: RHS 143A (yellow green). Upper surface, center: RHS 61A (purplish red). Upper surface, base: RHS 150C (yellow green). Lower surface, major color: RHS 137C (yellow green). Lower surface, color around veins: RHS 59A (dark red). Lower surface, center: RHS 149D (yellow green). Petiole length.—3.5-4.0 cm. Petiole diameter.—0.3-0.4 cm. Petiole color, mature leaf (both upper and lower surfaces).—RHS 150C (yellow green). Petiole color, immature leaf.—Upper surface: RHS 150C (yellow green). Lower surface: RHS 150D (yellow green). Petiole texture.—Smooth, no pubescence. Flowers and seeds: Flowers and seeds have not been observed to date during formal trials in Gainesville, Fla. Fruit/seed set: Fruit/seed not observed. Disease and insect resistance: Disease and insect resistance is typical of the species, thus no claims are made of any superior disease or insect resistance with this cultivar. The most common insect pests observed on this plant in Gainesville, Fla. have been long-tailed or citrus mealybugs (Pseudococcus spp.), which occur on older stock plant material held in the greenhouse for over 3-4 months. Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (Bunyaviridae) has also been observed in plants confined in greenhouses with mixed crops (peppers) infected with Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). The most common pathogen of this species in the U.S. is downy mildew (Perononspora lamii). This pathogen has been observed in stock materials grown closely together in cooler growing seasons.

Comparison with Known Cultivars

(9) When the new cultivar ‘UF20-73-3’ is compared to the commercial cultivar ‘UF17-50-5’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 32,980, commercial name “Mainstreet Alligator Alley”), ‘UF20-73-3’ has leaves with a predominately colored deep purple with consistent pink centers, and well-defined lime green coloration along the leaf margins, whereas ‘UF17-50-5’ has a narrower purplish red center coloration and a broader yellow green coloration along the leaf margins.