<i>Echinacea </i>plant named ‘Coral Craze’

Abstract

The new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant named Coral Craze, with fragrant flowers on strong stems having coral pink ray florets that mature to lavender-pink with large orange center cone and near black stems; The flowers from mid-summer to late summer, and is suitable as a potted plant, for the landscape, and for cut flower arrangements.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant named Coral Craze as herein described and illustrated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The photographs of the new invention demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant including the unique traits. The drawings of the new plant are of a two-year-old plant grown in full-sun trial 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, direction or reflection.

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

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

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

(4) The following description of Echinacea Coral Craze is based on observations of two-year-old specimens grown in a full-sun trial garden with supplemental water and fertilizer in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant has not been tested in all environments and some phenotypic differences may occur with different environments without, however, any change in genotype. The color descriptions are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary descriptions are used. Parentage: Female and male parent is the proprietary unreleased hybrid 12-2-1, which is a selection of a self-pollinated seedling from a cross of Little Annie times Solar Flare; Plant habit: Multi-stemmed, freely-branched, hardy herbaceous perennial, flowering to about 70 cm tall and 65 cm wide; Growth rate: Vigorous, finishing in 4 liter containers in about 2 months during the summer; Roots: Cream-colored, finely branched; Foliage: Alternate; ovate; acute apex; attenuate base; margin entire; hirsutulous both surfaces; to about 22.5 cm long and 10.0 cm wide decreasing distally, average about 12.0 cm long and 5.0 cm wide; Leaf color: Adaxial between RHS 136A and RHS 139A, abaxial nearest RHS 138A; Venation: Pinnate; with two major arcuate veins on both sides of the midrib; abaxial midrib and veins costate; Vein color: Abaxial midrib and secondary veins nearest RHS 145D, adaxial midrib and secondary veins between RHS 145D and RHS 138D; Petiole: Hirtellous, concavo-convex, about 8.0 cm long and 2.5 mm wide on lowest leaves and decreasing to sessile distally; color nearest RHS 145D adaxial and abaxial; Peduncle: Hirsutulous; cylindrical; average 18.0 cm long and 8.5 mm diameter; quantity per plant about ten; Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 187A; Pedicel: Hirsutulous, cylindrical; average 10.0 cm long and 6.0 mm diameter; Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 187A; Inflorescence: Bracteate head, aggregate of achene; with distinct ligulate ray florets and disk florets in a pappus; flowering mid-summer to late summer; initial flowers largest, to about 12.7 cm wide, average about 10.0 cm diameter with cones 4.5 cm across and 4.0 cm tall; approximately 8 flowers per peduncle; sweetly fragrant; Flower persistence: Remaining affective in color for 10 to 14 days depending on temperatures, cone drying on plant and effective into winter; Involucre: With numerous bracts, about 48 per flower; arcuate downward toward pedicle; Involucre bracts: Lanceolate; narrowly acute apex; truncate base; entire margin; average about 12.0 mm long and 3.5 mm across; color nearest RHS 139A on adaxial and abaxial margin, nearest RHS 146B in adaxial and abaxial center; Flower buds with ray florets vertical: About 20.0 mm across and 20.0 mm tall; ray floret color nearest RHS 186C with apices nearest RHS 147A, cone color nearest RHS 187A; Ray florets: Petals arrangement in single whorl, frequently imbricate; lanceolate, apex emarginated, base attenuate; margin entire; 24 to 28 per flower; opening to horizontal, drooping up to only 15 degrees below horizontal; to 4.8 cm long and 12.0 mm wide, average size 3.8 cm long, 9.5 cm wide at center tapering to 2 mm wide at base; thickened midrib raised; Disc florets: About 400 to 600 per head; in raised dome, about 4.5 cm across and 4.0 cm tall; outer florets about 8.0 mm long and 2.0 mm wide, central florets about 11.0 mm long and 2.0 mm wide; RHS 143C near base of corolla tube and RHS 167B near apex of petal; Disk floret androecium: Staminal column: About 1 mm wide and protrudes from corolla tube about 2 mm; five fused stamens; color nearest RHS 169C; Filaments: Five; attached to column; thin, less than 0.2 mm diameter and 1.5 mm long; color nearest RHS 158D; Pollen: Globose, less 0.1 mm in diameter, RHS 178A; Fruit: Achene; about 4 mm long and 2 mm wide; between RHS 199A and RHS 199B; Disease resistance: Resistance beyond that of other hardy Coneflower cultivars has not been observed. The plant grows best with plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate some drought when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4 through 8.