Sweetfern plant named ‘Blue Sea’

Abstract

The present invention relates to new and distinct cultivar of the woody-stemmed shrub, Sweetfern, botanically known as Comptonia peregrina and referred to by the name Blue Sea. Blue Sea is a compact, blue-tinted leaf Sweetfern plant that has leaves that are narrower and finer in texture than wild Comptonia peregrina.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Sweetfern plant named Blue Sea, substantially as illustrated and described herein.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

(1) The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Sweetfern plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description, which accurately describe the colors of the new Sweetfern plant.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a close-up view of the blue-tinted foliage of mature Comptonia peregrina Blue Sea.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a side-perspective view of a mature plant of Comptonia peregrina Blue Sea grown outside in a two-gallon container.

(4) FIG. 3 shows rooted cuttings of Comptonia peregrina Blue Sea.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a comparison between the foliage of wild Comptonia peregrina (left) and the narrow-leaved foliage Comptonia peregrina Blue Sea (right).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(6) The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during summer in pots in an outdoor cold frame in Storrs, Conn. Plants used for the photographs and description were 3 years old. In the following detailed description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Botanical classification: Comptonia peregrina cultivar Blue Sea. Parentage: Female, or seed, parent.Unnamed selection from Willington, Conn. Male, or pollen, parent.Unknown. Propagation: Type.Softwood cutting, taken when shoot recently emerged from dormancy or from recently divided rhizomes and elongated to a length of 5 to 7.6 cm. 3000 (Hormodin 2) or 8000 ppm (Hormodin 3) IBA in talc. Time to initiate roots, summer.About 5 weeks at temperatures of about 75 F. Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.About 8 weeks at temperatures of about 75 F. Root description.Fine. Rooting habit.Fibrous. Plant description: Plant form and growth habit.Mounded and dense plant. Plant height.About 60-92 cm. Plant diameter (area of spread).About 60-92 cm. Vigor.Moderate. Lateral branch description: Number.About 10-12 branches for a plant with a height of about 46 cm and diameter of about 60 cm. Length.About 10-20 cm. Diameter.About 2 mm. Internode length.About 5-10 mm. Color.Close to brown group 200D. Leaf description: Arrangement.Alternate simple. Length.About 5-10 cm. Width.About 1-1.5 cm. Shape.Linear. Apex shape.Acute. Base shape.Acute. Margin type.Coarsely toothed. Texture, upper and lower surfaces.Minutely pubescent. Venation pattern.Pinnate. Fragrance.Sweet, most noticeably on warm sunny days. Color.Spring leaves, upper surface: Close to green 140B under high light conditions. Spring leaves, lower surface: Close to green 140B under high light conditions. Summer leaves, upper surface: Close to green 135A to 136A under high light conditions. Summer leaves, lower surface: Close to yellow green 148B under high light conditions. Fall leaves, upper surface: Close to greyed-red 180A to 178A. Fall leaves, lower surface: Ranges from yellow 9D to yellow-orange 18B. Petiole.Length: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: minutely pubescent. Persistence of foliage.Deciduous. Glossiness of the leaf.Non-glossy. Stem: Shape.Round. Surface texture.Pubescent. Color.Brown group 200D. Flower description: Monoecious or dioecious.Monoecious. Flower arrangement and habit.Male catkins clustered at shoot tip in a few to several. Female flowers in small groups directly below male flowers. Fragrance.None. Natural flowering season.Early spring. Flower longevity.2 weeks. Inflorescence length.Male: About 2 cm. Female: About 7 mm. Inflorescence diameter.Male: About 6 mm. Female: About 8 mm. Inflorescence type.Male: Catkin. Female: Small apetalous with prominent stigmas. Number of flowers per inflorescence.Male: 60. Female: 40. Number of inflorescences per stem.Male: 8-10. Female: 0-2. Flower diameter.Male: About 3 mm. Female: About 1 mm. Flower length (height).Male: About 1-2 mm. Female: About 4 to 5 mm. Sepals (bract).Arrangement: Single subtending flower. Length: About 3 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Shape: Spade. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Broad. Margin: Minutely hairy. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color: Close to yellow green 149A transitions to orange 174C at the tip. Peduncles.Sessile. Pedicels.Sessile. Reproductive organs.Stamens: Quantity: 3 to 6. Anther shape: Oval. Anther length: About 0.5 mm. Anther color: Close to yellow green 149A. Pollen amount: Scarce, moderate. Pollen color: Close to yellow 8B. Pistils: Quantity: 1 per flower. Pistil length: About 5 mm. Style length: About 4 mm. Style color: Close to red purple 58A. Stigma color: Close to red purple 58A. Ovary color: Close to red purple 58A. Fruit description: Shape.Elliptical. Size.5 mm. Color.Summer emergent, close to yellow-green 144B. Fall, close to greyed-orange 176B. Number of seeds.1. Seeds description: Length.About 2-3 mm. Width.About 1-2 mm. Thickness.About 1-2 mm. Shape.Elliptical. Color.Close to greyed-orange 177B. Garden performance: Plants of the new Sweetfern have been observed to have excellent garden performance and tolerate high light, full exposure, dry, infertile soils and summer temperatures above 90 F. and low temperatures of 20 F. Pathogen and pest resistance: Plants of the new Sweetfern have not been shown to be resistant to pests and other pathogens common to Sweetfern plants.