<i>Monarda </i>plant named ‘Leading Lady Pink’

Abstract

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental cultivar of hybrid ornamental Bee Balm plant named Monarda ‘Leading Lady Pink’ with deep-green, moderately-glossy, powdery mildew-tolerant foliage, dense flower heads of bright-pink flowers with lighter interiors effectively showing off the darker purplish-red spots. The plant habit is compact and winter-hardy, useful in the landscape as a specimen, en masse, or as a containerized plant.

Claims

1. A new and distinct hybrid ornamental Bee Balm plant named Monarda ‘Leading Lady Pink’, as herein described and illustrated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of Monarda ‘Leading Lady Pink’ and the overall appearance of the plant at three-years-old in the full sun trial garden of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

(2) FIG. 1 shows the habit of the new plant in full flower.

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

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(4) The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Monarda ‘Leading Lady Pink’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on two-year-old plants grown in a trial garden at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed. Botanical classification: Monarda hybrid; Parentage: The female (seed) parent is 12-27-1, an unreleased proprietary hybrid; the male (pollen) parent is 12-62-25, an unreleased, proprietary hybrid; Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, dense, upright mound, producing multiple stems spreading by short rhizomes near the base of the stems; foliage up to 30.0 cm tall, flowering to 35.0 cm tall and 58.0 cm wide; flowering begins late spring in Michigan and continues for about 5 weeks; Propagation: Stem cuttings; Time to produce finished crop in 3.8-liter pots: About 7 to 9 weeks; moderate rate of growth; Root: Fine, fibrous and freely branching; color creamy white to tan depending on soil type; Leaves: Simple; lanceolate; opposite; margin serrated and ciliolate; puberulent above and below; moderately lustrous adaxial, matte to slightly lustrous abaxial; narrowly acute apex; cordate to rounded base; to about 8.7 cm long and 3.8 cm wide, average about 6.8 cm long and 3.3 cm wide near base; Leaf color: Young expanding leaves adaxial nearest RHS 137A, abaxial nearest RHS 146B; older leaves adaxial nearest RHS 147C without significant anthocyanins, abaxial nearest RHS 147B without significant anthocyanins; Foliage fragrance: Pleasant lemony-herbal; Veins: Pinnate; glabrous and slightly sunken adaxial, micro-pubescent and costate abaxial; Vein color: Adaxial midrib nearest RHS 145C and lateral pinnate veins and secondary veins RHS 145B near center and distally nearest RHS 138B; abaxial midrib variable, nearest RHS 145C and lateral pinnate veins nearest RHS 147C and secondary veins nearest RHS 137B; Petiole: Micro-puberulent, slightly concaved above; to about 5.0 mm long and 3.0 mm across at base; Petiole color: Adaxial nearest RHS 146C and abaxial nearest RHS 146D without significant anthocyanin; Stems: Quadrangular; puberulent; about 4.0 mm across at base; about 40 per plant; naturally branched at upper nodes; average 2.7 cm between nodes, greater distally; 9 to 11 nodes per stem; average length about 30 cm; Stem color: Nearest RHS 146D without anthocyanin expression; nodes same color as surrounding stem; Flowers: Single, bilabiate flowers arranged in mostly terminal verticils forming globular head inflorescence about 70.0 mm across and 40.0 mm tall, opening from the center and progressing outwardly and down; attitude outwardly to upwardly; individual flowers to about 37.0 mm long to exserted stigma, 15.0 mm tall and about 5.0 mm across; individual flowers persisting about 5 days in Michigan; numerous, about 150 to 200 flowers per terminal head, fewer per axillary head; 60 inflorescences with open flowers at one time; Flower fragrance: Moderately spicy; Buds one to two days prior to opening: Narrowly oblanceolate, arcuate downward; about 21.0 mm long and 3.0 mm across and 5.5 mm tall; Bud color: Basal 4.0 mm nearest RHS NN155B, distal and dorsal portion between RHS 61B and RHS 64B ventral region between RHS 61A and RHS 61B; Petals: Bilabiate; arcuate downward; basal 18.0 mm fused into tube; split in two in the distal 15.0 mm; abaxial glandular to puberulent, adaxial glabrous; self-cleaning; Upper labium: Rolled or folded in middle portion, about 12.0 mm long from fusion to acute apex, 2.0 mm tall, 2.0 mm across at base; Lower labium: About 15.0 mm long from fusion to apex, apex comprising three lobes including two side lobes about 1.0 mm long and 2.0 mm across with rounded apex; center lobe bent upwardly at base, about 4.0 mm long with emarginate apex in the distal 0.5 mm; main portion with darker spots between 0.2 mm and 1.0 mm across; Petal color: Upper labium adaxial surface nearest RHS 63B, abaxial between RHS 61B and RHS 64B; lower labium adaxial surface between RHS 61C and RHS 64C spots nearest RHS 61A, abaxial nearest RHS 63B with spots showing through from adaxial surface of nearest RHS 64A; corolla adaxial tube proximal 5.0 mm nearest RHS NN155C and distally nearest RHS 65B, abaxial tube proximal 5.0 mm between RHS 157D and RHS NN155B and dorsal distal portion nearest RHS 63B and ventral distal portion nearest RHS 64D; Androecium: Two; adnate inner corolla tube in basal portion; Filaments.—Two; curved downward; adnate to the inner corolla tube in the basal 15.0 mm and free in the distal 15.0 mm; about 0.5 mm diameter; color in free portion between RHS 68B and RHS 68C, color in adnate portion nearest RHS 69B. Anther.—Oblong elliptic; dorsifixed; longitudinal; fused together; 3.0 mm long by 1.0 mm wide; color nearest RHS 62D and ventral suture color nearest RHS 187D. Pollen.—Abundant, elliptic to globose, less than 0.1 mm; color nearest RHS 16A. Gynoecium: One; superior; about 32.0 mm long; Pistil: One per flower; exserted about 5.0 mm beyond upper labium when mature; Style: Cylindrical; glabrous; about 29.0 mm long and about 0.3 mm diameter; arcuate along upper labium; color nearest RHS 64B in distal 5.0 mm transitioning to nearest RHS NN155D in middle and basal portion; Stigma: Unevenly bifid in the distal 1.0 mm with one portion 1.0 mm and the other 0.5 mm long, about 0.2 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 64A; Ovary: Conical; about 1.0 mm tall by 0.75 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 145D; Calyx: Tubular to campanulate; consisting of five fused sepals; about 8.0 mm long and 2.0 mm diameter at apex; Sepals: Five; narrowly acute apex; basal 7.0 mm fused forming calyx tube, free in distal 1.0 mm; margin micro-serrulate; about 8.0 mm long and 1.0 mm across at fusion; glabrous abaxial, glabrous adaxial except throat pubescent; persistent; Sepal color: adaxial and abaxial basal 2.0 mm nearest RHS 145D, middle adaxial portion nearest RHS 145B with veins nearest RHS 146C, middle abaxial portion nearest RHS 146D with veins nearest RHS 146C; adaxial and abaxial margins nearest RHS N187A; Foliar bracts: Typically two sets of five to seven large bracts below inflorescence; proximal set deltoid, distal set lanceolate; apex narrowly acute; base sessile and truncate; margin entire and micro-ciliolate; glabrous adaxial, puberulent abaxial; mostly flat; proximal set about 18.0 mm long and 14.0 mm wide, distal set about 14.0 mm long and 4.0 mm wide; Foliar bract color: Both sets similar, adaxial and abaxial nearest RHS 137A with occasional center of nearest RHS N186D; Peduncle: Pubescent, stiff, strong, erect, quadrangular; to about 3.0 mm across above leaves and average 38.0 mm long above node; about 60 per plant at one time; naturally branched at nodes; Peduncle color: Variable between RHS 146B and RHS 146A; Pedicel: About 2.0 mm long and 0.8 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 145B; Fruit: Single, glabrous, lustrous, ellipsoidal nutlet; about 1.2 mm long and 0.7 mm wide; color nearest RHS 200C; Hardiness: The new plant grows best with plenty of moisture and adequate drainage; hardy to at least from USDA zone 4 through 8. Disease and pest resistance: Demonstrated greater than average powdery mildew tolerance in side-by-side comparison with other Monarda.