Echinacea plant named ‘Embers Sparks’

Abstract

A new and distinct Echinacea plant named Embers Sparks characterized by an amazing number of large inflorescences starting in the first season, very upright, compact habit, bright yellow ray florets surrounding green-yellow cones, strong upright stems, and excellent vigor.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Echinacea plant as herein illustrated and described.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 shows an eight-month-old Echinacea Embers Sparks in flower, growing in the trial field in full sun in mid-September in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

(2) The following is a detailed description of the new Echinacea cultivar based on observations of 3-year-old specimens growing in the trial bed in full sun in Canby, Oreg. Canby is in Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 F. in August to an average of 32 F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year in the trial fields in Canby, Oreg. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5.sup.th edition, 2007. Plant: Type.Herbaceous perennial. Hardiness.USDA Zones 4 to 9. Size.Grows to 48 cm wide and 54 cm tall to top of inflorescences. Form.Basal clump, with up to 14 crowns. Vigor.Excellent. Roots.Fibrous, with many downward growing and few laterals, ivory in color, Yellow White 158D, roots develop easily from cuttings from the crown. Leaf (basal): Type.Simple. Shape.Lanceolate. Arrangement.Alternate. Blade size.Grows to 17 cm long and 4 cm wide. Margins.Sparsely serrate. Apex.Acuminate. Base.Attenuate. Surface texture.Both sides strigose. Venation.Pinnate. Variegation.Absent. Color.Green 137A with veins Green 145C on topside, Green 147B with veins Green 147C on bottom side; petiole clasping, to 8 cm long and 3 mm wide, strigose, Green 147C. Leaf (stem): Type.Simple. Shape.Lanceolate. Arrangement.Alternate. Leaf number.60. Blade size.Grows to 14 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. Margins.Usually entire to sparsely serrate. Apex.Acuminate. Base.Attenuate. Surface texture.Strigose on both sides. Rugosity.Absent. Venation.Pinnate, Yellow Green 145C on both sides. Variegation.Absent. Color.Topside Green N137A, bottom side closest to Green 137B. Petiole description.Clasping, grows to 2 cm long and 7 mm wide, scabrous, narrow leafy edges, topside and bottom side Yellow Green 147C. Inflorescence: Type.Daisy, composite on terminal stalked heads. Number of fully expanded flowers.Up to 80. Flowering stem.Grows to 23 cm tall from the base of the plant to the terminal leaves below peduncle; unbranched to branched, 3 to 7 inflorescences per stem; diameter growing to 10 mm wide near the inflorescence; strigose; strong; Yellow Green 147B. Size.Grows to 9 cm wide and 6.5 cm deep as disc enlarges. Form.Ray florets held horizontally when young, reflexing slightly when they mature, mature disc is conic. Peduncle.Grows to 27 cm long from above terminal leaves to flower, 4 cm wide, strigose; Yellow Green 147B. Peduncle strength.Strong. Immature inflorescence (bud).Up to 40, 4 cm wide and 3 cm deep, ray florets held upright at a 40 degrees angle from vertical and rolled up so only the back color shows, Yellow Orange 15B, disc color Yellow Green 144A. Ray florets.Without pistil or stamen, 21 to 26 in number, grow to 30 mm long and 9 mm wide, oblanceolate to lanceolate with the tip two-to-three-toothed (each acute), entire margins, base attenuate, glabrous on both sides, horizontal attitude at origin, drooping to semi-drooping near senescence; first and fully open florets topside closest to Yellow Orange 15B, bottom side 15D; florets lighten to topside Yellow 2D, bottom side between Yellow Green 150C and Yellow Green 150D. Disc.Flat becoming conic, becoming 35 mm deep and 42 mm wide with maturity, Yellow Green 144A in background with bracts Yellow 13B. Disc florets.To about 360 in number, each with 1 pistil and 4 stamen, grow to 10 mm long and 3 mm wide, each with one persistent, very stiff linear bract (16 mm long with the top 3 mm Yellow 13B to 7 mm Yellow Green 144A to 6 mm of White NN155A on bottom); corolla 5 mm long and 2 mm wide, tubular, 5 lobed, glabrous and glossy, Yellow Green 144A at the base to Yellow Green 149D; pistil 6 mm long, ovary 4 mm long, White NN155D with top Yellow Green 144A, style 5.5 mm long and Yellow Green 149D, 2-branched stigma spreading 3 mm wide, Yellow Green 149D on bottom half and tinted Greyed Purple N186A on top half; stamen 4.5 mm long, filaments 2 mm long and White NN155B, anthers 3 mm long and Greyed Purple N186B, pollen none. Involucral bracts.In 4 leafy series, area grows to 30 mm wide and 10 mm deep, lobes lanceolate in shape, reflexed, grow to 12 mm long and 3 mm wide, both sides Green 137A, margins strigose, tip acute, strigose on both sides. Receptacle.Grows to 14 mm wide and 23 mm deep, White NN155B. Bloom period.June through October in Canby, Oreg. Fragrance.Slight, floral perfume. Lastingness.Each inflorescence lasts about two weeks in Canby, Oreg. Seeds.4 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, oval, Brown 200C. Fertility.Moderate. Disease and pests: No pests or diseases have been observed on plants grown under commercial conditions in Canby, Oreg. No resistances are known.