Hibiscus plant named ‘Holy Grail’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy, herbaceous, perennial, hybrid Hibiscus plant named Holy Grail comprising a rounded mound habit of multiple, well-branched, basal stems producing flowers from the bottom to the top of the plant from late July to early September. Flowers have petals with strong red with dark red shiny eye set off with column of light yellow pollen. The foliage is ovate to rarely three-lobed, and deep mahogany-colored and the light green calyces provide sharp contrast.

Claims

1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial Hibiscus hybrid plant named Holy Grail as herein illustrated and described.

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 colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a three-year-old plant in full flower in a trial garden.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower and bud.

(4) FIG. 3 shows the expanding and mature foliage with stem and young flower bud.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(5) The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus Holy Grail, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of three-year-old plants in the loamy-sand, open-field full-sun trials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed. The plants are of natural habit and were not treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any time in the growth year. Parentage: The female or seed parent is the unreleased, non-patented, proprietary hibiscus known by the breeder code 12-166-5, the male or pollen parent is Perfect Storm; Propagation: Method.Shoot tip cuttings and sterile shoot-tip plant tissue culture division. Time to initiate roots from tissue culture.About two weeks. Rooting habit.Normal, branching, developing thick to about 2.8 cm diameter, fleshy; root color creamy yellow nearest RHS 161D depending on soil type. Crop time.Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16 weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting. Plant vigor is very good. Plant description: Plant habit.Hardy herbaceous perennial with about 21 thick, upright, heavily-branched stems producing an upright spreading mound to about 80.0 cm tall and about 110.0 cm wide; flowering from base to top of plant with up to about 52 flowers per main stem, average flowers per stem about 36. Stem.Cylindrical, glabrous, glaucous; to about 80.0 cm tall and about 2.5 cm diameter at base, average about 74.0 cm tall and about 1.4 cm diameter at base. Stem color.Between RHS 177A and RHS 178A. Lateral branches.To 11 per stem, average about 8 per stem; cylindrical, glabrous, glaucous; to about 36.0 cm long and 8.0 mm diameter at base, smaller distally. Lateral branch color.Between RHS 177A and RHS 178A. Internode.About 7 nodes per stem below branches; average internode length about 2.3 cm of unpinched plant. Internode color.Same as surrounding stem. Foliage description: Ovate to tri-lobed; alternate; coarsely and irregularly dentate; apex and side lobes acute; base rounded to nearly cordate; glabrous abaxial and adaxial; shallowly to moderately incised when tri-lobed; adaxial surface lustrous when expanding, slightly lustrous when mature, abaxial surface matte; leaf blades to about 14.5 cm long and about 8.3 cm across, average blade size 11.0 cm long and 7.5 cm wide; no fragrance detected; Foliage color: young expanding leaves adaxial nearest RHS N186C, abaxial nearest blend between RHS 147B and RHS N138C with irregular highlights around margin nearest RHS 187B; mature leaves - adaxial nearest RHS N186B in high light exposure and nearest RHS NN137B with undertones of nearest RHS N186B, abaxial nearest RHS 147B; Veins.Palmate; lustrous; costate on abaxial. Vein color.Young adaxial nearest RHS N186B with midrib nearest RHS N186C, abaxial nearest RHS 185C; mature adaxial nearest RHS 187A and abaxial veins nearest RHS 185D proximally and nearest RHS 185B distally. Petioles.Mostly cylindrical, proximally slightly applanate on adaxial side near base; glaucous; glabrous; to about 8.0 cm long and 3.0 mm diameter at base, average size about 6.0 cm long and 2.5 mm wide at base. Petiole color.Nearest RHS 187B. Flower description: Complete; actinomophic; mostly outward facing; rotate; lasting up to two days on plant; no fragrance detected; to about 21.0 cm across and 6.5 cm deep, decreasing distally; Buds one day prior to anthesis.Ellipsoidal with rounded apex and bluntly rounded base; sepals adpressed to petals; about 7.6 cm long and about 4.8 cm diameter in middle. Bud seven days prior to anthesis, with petals still enveloped in calyx.Cylindrical with pointed apex and rounded base; carinate at sepals fusion lines; glabrous, glaucous; about 2.2 cm long and about 1.8 cm across. Bud color one day prior to anthesis.Exposed petal color between RHS 187C and RHS 60A with lighter veins the same color. Bud seven days prior to anthesis.Variable, with distal regions generally nearest RHS N186D and proximal regions nearest RHS 146D. Epicalyx.Typically 9 to 11 per flower; linear; entire, glabrous, with margin micro ciliate; dull surface abaxial and adaxial; sharply acute apex and truncate base, arcuate upwards near apex; about 1.6 cm long and about 1.5 mm wide at base. Epicalyx color.Adaxial nearest RHS 146A, abaxial nearest RHS 146A with strong tinting of nearest RHS 187A. Sepals.Five, fused in basal 1.8 cm to form star-shaped hypanthium about 6.0 cm across and 3.3 cm deep; acute apex; glabrous; margin entire, edentate; abaxial and adaxial surfaces matte; about 3.5 cm long, about 1.8 cm wide at fusion. Sepal color.Adaxial base nearest RHS 146D and distal lighter than RHS 146D, veins lighter than RHS 145B; abaxial nearest RHS 138B, with veins and distal tinting nearest RHS 187B. Flowers.Solitary, up to 52 per main stem without pinching; nearly flat face; mostly outwardly facing; natural spread to about 22.0 cm across and 6.0 cm deep from stigma to base of calyx; smaller in later season. Flower lastingness.Persist for one to two days; effective for at least 7 weeks beginning late July. Flower fragrance.No detectable fragrance. Petals.Five; microscopically puberulent abaxial and adaxial, glabrous eye; adnate to the androecium to form a column, imbricate to about 60% overlapping at widest part (petals overlapping 60% to the petals on either side); palmately veined, primary veins impressed on adaxial and slightly costate abaxial; surface slightly dimpled; rounded with distinct claw and limb; margins: entire, edentate; apex rounded; base short claw-like; Petal size: average about 11.0 cm across and about 11.7 cm long, claw base about 7.5 mm across (smaller in later part of flowering season). Petal color.Adaxial nearest RHS 46A with darker eye nearest RHS 183B; abaxial basal nearest RHS 46A. Flower lastingness.One to two days. Gynoecium.Single; partially enclosed in column. Column: glabrous and lustrous, except base micro-puberulent; about 4.8 cm long and about 8.0 mm across at base; with pistil exserted about 8.0 mm. Column color: mixture between RHS 61B and RHS 61A. Style: micro-puberulent in region exserted above column; about 4.6 cm long, penta-furcate in about distal 6.0 mm; branch diameter about 1.2 mm; color nearest RHS 187C. Stigma: typically five; flattened globose, puberulent, about 2.5 mm in diameter and 2.0 mm tall; color between RHS 187B and RHS 187C. Ovary: superior, semi-globose, rounded to broadly acute apex and flat truncate base; about 9.0 mm across at base and about 6.0 mm tall; acute apex; color between RHS 145C and RHS 145D. Androecium.Filaments: numerous, about 100; about 4.0 mm long and about 0.2 mm diameter; attached along nearly the entire length of column; color nearest RHS 61B proximally and center, nearest RHS NN155D distally. Anthers: flattened ellipsoid; dorsifixed; about 2.5 mm long and 2.0 mm across and about 0.8 mm thick; color nearest RHS 10B. Pollen: abundant, globose, less than 0.1 mm long; color nearest RHS 10B. Pedicel: Cylindrical, glabrous, glaucous; length from base of sepal to abscission point about 2.0 cm long, from abscission point to stem node about 6.5 cm long; about 3.0 mm wide; longer on early flowers and decreasing in distal flowers; color nearest between RHS 177A and RHS 178A; Peduncle: Cylindrical, glabrous, glaucous; flowering in the distal 39.0 cm; color between RHS 177A and RHS 178A; Fruit: Penta-loculicidal capsule; pubescent along inner septa, glabrous outside; ellipsoidal, cuspidate apex and flattened base; about 25.0 mm long and 20.0 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 200A when mature; up to 72 seeds per fruit; Seed: Minutely floccose; globose; about 2.4 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS N200A; Resistance: Hibiscus Holy Grail has not displayed any pest and disease resistance beyond that typical of hardy perennial hibiscus. The plant grows best with plenty of moisture. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4 through 9, and other disease resistance is typical of that of other hardy hibiscus cultivars.