<i>Coleus </i>plant named ‘UF17-52-13’

Abstract

‘UF17-52-13’ is a new Coleus plant, selected because it has a highly desirable combination of novel traits. It has leaves colored dark maroon with chartreuse margins and with superior stability in both sun and shade. The highly lobed shape of the large leaves is extremely uniform across the plant throughout development, and the leaves are larger than most plants of this leaf type. It has excellent lateral branching, thus providing ample vegetative propagules for producers. It has a vigorous spreading form, growing more horizontal than vertical, which allows it to fill space with vibrant color very quickly in summer gardens. This plant has not been observed to produce flowers in any trial to date, thus it is desirable for long-season performance in the landscape. This trait is particularly valuable for large-scale commercial landscape plantings.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Coleus scutellarioides plant named ‘UF17-52-13’ as shown and described herein.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) The accompanying photographs (as shown in FIGS. 1-3) illustrate the overall appearance of the new Coleus cultivar ‘UF17-52-13’. These photographs show the colors as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures. Colors shown in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description, which accurately describe the colors of the new Coleus cultivar. FIGS. 2 and 3 were taken from plants grown nine (9) weeks from unrooted cuttings in September-November 2020 in a glass-covered greenhouse in Gainesville, Fla.

(2) FIG. 1 shows the pedigree of the claimed plant;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the growth habit, form, and foliage of the claimed plant; and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a close-up of the foliage of the claimed plant.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CULTIVAR

(5) The following detailed description sets forth the distinctive characteristics of the new Coleus cultivar ‘UF17-52-13’. Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart, 2007 (5.sup.th Edition).

Description of Growing Conditions

(6) The detailed description was obtained using nine-week-old plants grown from unrooted cuttings in September-November 2020 in a glass-covered greenhouse in Gainesville, Fla. The plants were propagated in mist for ten (10) days after cuttings were stuck, then grown in one-gallon pots for approximately seven and a half additional weeks.

Botanical Description

(7) Botanical classification: Family.—Lamiaceae. Botanical name.—Coleus scutellarioides. Common name.—Coleus. Cultivar.—‘UF17-52-13’. Parentage: Female or seed parent.—‘UF16-39-4’. Male or pollen parent.—Unknown. Propagation: Type cuttings.—Vegetative meristems having at least one node. Time to initiate roots.—3-4 days. Time to produce a rooted cutting.—7-10 days. Root description: Callus forms in 2-3 days, roots initiate in 3-4 days, and roots become a highly branched cutting in 7-10 days. Rooting habit.—Fibrous. Plant description: Plant form.—Spreading. Growth habit.—Upright, well-branched. Plant height (from top of soil).—28-30 cm. Plant width (horizontal plant diameter).—58-62 cm. Branches.—Quantity per plant: 7-8. Branch color: RHS 141C (medium green). Texture: Smooth. Pubescence: Not present. Branch diameter: 0.5-0.7 cm at the base of a 28-cm-long branch. Branch length: 24-26 cm. Internode length: 3-4 cm. Anthocyanin: Not present. Stem description: Square-shaped stem, 1.0 cm in diameter at the soil line. Foliage description: Quantity of leaves per branch.—20-22. Arrangement: Opposite. Fragrance.—Not fragrant. Shape.—Ovate. Length.—10-12 cm. Width.—8-10 cm. Apex.—Broadly acute. Base.—Attenuate. Margin.—Deeply lobed. Leaf texture (both surfaces).—Smooth. Pubescence (both surfaces).—Not present. Venation color.—Upper surface: Proximal (base): RHS 141C (medium green). Distal (tip): RHS 187A (dark red). Center: RHS 186D (purplish pink). Lower surface: RHS 141D (light green). Venation pattern.—Upper surface: Reticulate. Lower surface: Reticulate. Color, immature leaf.—Upper surface: Base and center: RHS 177A (dark greyed orange). Margin: RHS 143B (light green). Lower surface: Base: RHS 193D (light grey green). Margin: RHS 143A (medium green). Color, mature leaf.—Upper surface: Base and center: RHS 187A (dark brown). Margin: RHS 143A (medium green). Lower surface: RHS 143C (light green). Petiole length.—2-3 cm. Petiole diameter.—0.2-0.3 cm. Petiole color.—RHS 143C (light green). Petiole texture.—Smooth, no pubescence. Flowers and seeds: Flowers and seeds have not been observed. 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 sp.), 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

(8) Plants of the new Coleus cultivar ‘UF17-52-13’ can be compared to those of ‘UF17-73-7’ (commercial name Wicked Witch, not patented). The color of the adaxial surface of mature leaves of ‘UF17-52-13 is RHS 187A (dark red) in the leaf center, with leaf margins and tip accents colored RHS 143A (medium green). In contrast, the color of the adaxial surface of mature leaves of ‘UF17-73-7’ is RHS 140A (yellow green) at the base then transitions from RHS 61B (purple red) in the leaf center to RHS 77A (red purple), then to RHS 140A (yellow green) at the leaf margins.