<i>Geranium </i>plant named ‘Boom Chocolatta’

Abstract

The new and distinct hybrid of Hardy Geranium plant named Geranium Boom Chocolatta with large, rounded, deeply-cleft, palmately-lobed foliage having dark bronze color. Numerous, densely-branched, erect, stems display blue-purple flowers above the foliage beginning early summer for about three weeks. The new plant is vigorous and produces large, upright, winter-hardy mounds.

Claims

1. The new and distinct Hardy Geranium plant named Geranium Boom Chocolatta 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 plants in the drawing are two-year-old plants growing in a full-sun research garden in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Some slight variation of color may occur as a result of lighting quality, intensity, wavelength, and direction or reflection.

(2) FIG. 1 shows landscape habit of plants in peak flower.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a close-up of a flower stalk with buds and flower.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(4) The following description is based on a two-year-old plant growing in a partially shaded greenhouse and full-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich., USA. The new plant has not been grown under all possible environments and may phenotypically appear different under different conditions such as light, temperatures, fertilizer, and water, without any difference in genotype. The color descriptions used are from the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Parentage: Female or seed parent was Midnight Blues, the male or pollen parent was presumed to be Kashmir Blue; Plant habit: Winter-hardy herbaceous perennial with multiple upright stems; 60.0 cm tall and 65.0 cm in diameter; with upright branched stems per plant; Roots: Fibrous, finely branched; Growth rate: Rapid, rooting from cutting in two weeks and finishing in three-liter container in about two and a half months; Foliage: Opposite; palmate; rounded; deeply-cleft, pentadactylous to seven-lobed with four to six deep incisions; lobe apices acute; base hastate; margins serrate; adaxial slightly lustrous, abaxial matte; minutely puberulent adaxial, abaxial glabrous; leaf rugosity medium; Leaf blade size: To about 12.0 cm wide and 11.5 cm long; Leaf color: Mature adaxial between RHS NN137B and RHS 137A with undertone nearest RHS N186B in high ultraviolet light intensity; mature abaxial nearest RHS 146C; young adaxial nearest RHS 137C, young abaxial nearest RHS 146C; Leaf quantity: Dense, about 110 per plant; Veins: Palmate, puberulent abaxial and glabrous adaxial; Vein color: Emerging or early spring adaxial basal midrib nearest RHS 186A and secondary and distal veins nearest RHS 187C; Petiole: Cylindrical; to about 4.0 cm long and 2.5 mm diameter at base; Petiole color: Nearest RHS 146C with undertone of nearest RHS 183B; Stipule: Two per node; ovate to lanceolate; apex acute, base clasping; to about 10.0 mm long and 3.5 mm wide at base; Stipule color: Nearest RHS 146B with undertone of nearest RHS 183B; Peduncle: Umbel; cylindrical; stiff; puberulent; upright; branched; to about 8.0 cm long and 2.5 mm diameter at base, average about 7.0 cm tall and 2.2 mm diameter; about 27 flowers per umbel; Inflorescence: Average size about 7.5 cm long and flowering to about 7.0 cm across; Flowering longevity: Umbel effective for about three weeks; individual flowers about 5 to 7 days; self-cleaning; Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 146C with blushing of nearest RHS 183A in portions getting high ultraviolet light; Pedicel: Cylindrical, puberulent; to about 10.0 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter, average about 6.0 mm long and 0.7 mm diameter; attitude upright to outwardly; Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 185B; Buds one day prior to opening: Conical; acute apex and rounded base; about 12.0 mm long and 5.0 mm diameter near base; Bud color one day prior to opening: Nearest RHS 146C with veins nearest RHS 183B; Flower: Perfect; campanulate; single; actinomorphic; about 35.0 mm wide and 12.0 mm deep; average about 230 per flowers per plant; weakly concave; Flower attitude: Outwardly to slightly upwardly; Petals: Five; obovate to obcordate; rounded apex and attenuate base; entire margin; glabrous abaxial and adaxial; about 18.0 mm long and 12.0 mm wide in middle; moderately overlapping; petal veins moderately conspicuous toward center, very weakly toward margins; Petal color: Adaxial nearest RHS 94C with contrasting palmate veins between RHS 61B and RHS 64B; abaxial nearest RHS 94D; Calyx: Rotate; hypanthium; about 7.5 mm deep and 23.0 mm wide at apex; Sepals: Five; ovate; acute to mucronate apex; micro-puberulent to glandular abaxial; matte adaxial; base cuneate; to about 14 mm long and 4.5 mm wide near middle; Sepal color: Abaxial apex nearest RHS 146B with veins nearest RHS 183B adaxial nearest RHS 146D; Androecium: Ten; Filaments.Ten, thin, glabrous; about 6.5 mm long and less than 0.3 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 186C. Anthers.Ellipsoidal, dorsifixed, longitudinal; about 2.0 mm long and about 0.5 mm across; color nearest RHS N186A. Pollen.Scarce; color nearest RHS 160C. Gynoecium: Single; about 12.0 mm long; Style.Slightly exserted; about 9.0 mm long and about 0.5 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 186B. Stigma.Penta-fid; decurrent; about 1.5 mm long and 0.3 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 186B. Ovary.Ellipsoidal; about 2.0 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 145A. Fruit and seeds not observed; Disease and pest tolerance: The new plant grows best with ample moisture and drainage in either part sun or full shade. Cold hardy from USDA zones 4 to 8. Other resistance and tolerance outside of that normal for Hardy Geranium is not known.