<i>Coleus </i>plant named ‘UF19-79-2’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) plant named ‘UF19-79-2’ is a new Coleus plant, selected for having a combination of desirable traits that make it well-suited for good performance as an annual plant in the summer landscape. ‘UF19-79-2’ has foliage that is consistently dark red in color across the plant in both sun and shade trial conditions. ‘UF19-79-2’ is exceptional because it has an extremely vigorous upright and spreading habit, which is not typical of most predominantly red leaf colored Coleus plants. It is upright and spreading in habit, but it is more highly branched and uniform in shape than most dark red Coleus plants that have been produced to date. Since red foliage is one of the most popular consumer choices for garden plants, ‘UF19-79-2’ should have high utility for use in any part of the garden landscape.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Coleus scutellarioides plant named ‘UF19-79-2’ as shown and described herein.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) This new Coleus cultivar ‘UF19-79-2’ is illustrated by the accompanying photographs, which show the plant's form and foliage. The colors shown are as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures. FIGS. 2 and 3 were taken from plants grown nine weeks from unrooted cuttings in September-November 2021 in a glass-covered greenhouse in Gainesville, Fla.

(2) FIG. 1 shows the pedigree of the claimed plant;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the growth habit, form, and foliage of the claimed plant; and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a close-up view of the foliage of the claimed plant.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CULTIVAR

(5) The following detailed description sets forth the distinctive characteristics of the new cultivar ‘UF19-79-2’. Color references are to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London (R.H.S.), 2007 5th Edition.

Description of Growing Conditions

(6) The detailed description was generated using nine-week-old plants of the new cultivar ‘UF19-79-2’ grown from unrooted cuttings in September-November 2021 in a glass-covered greenhouse in Gainesville, Fla. The plants were propagated in mist for ten days after cuttings were stuck, then grown in one-gallon pots for approximately seven and a half additional weeks.

Botanical Description

(7) Botanical classification: Family.—Lamiaceae. Botanical name.—Coleus scutellarioides. Common name.—Coleus. Cultivar.—‘UF19-79-2’. Parentage: Female or seed parent.—‘UF18-64-7’. Male or pollen parent.—Unknown. Plant description: Growth habit.—Upright and spreading. Plant height (from top of soil).—40-45 cm. Plant diameter (horizontal plant diameter).—65-70 cm. Propagation: Type cuttings.—Vegetative meristem tip cuttings having at least 1 node. Time to initiate roots.—3-4 days. Time to produce a rooted cutting.—7-10 days. Roots: Rooting habit.—Fibrous. Root description.—Callus forms in 2-3 days, roots initiate in 3-4 days and become a highly branched cutting in 7-10 days. Branches: Quantity per plant.—8. Branch color.—RHS 187A (dark red). Texture.—Smooth. Pubescence.—Not present. Stem description.—Square-shaped stem, 0.9 cm in diameter at the soil line. Branch diameter.—0.7-0.8 cm at the base of a 34 cm long branch. Branch length.—32-34 cm. Internode length.—4-5 cm. Anthocyanin.—RHS 187A (dark red). Foliage description: Quantity of leaves per branch.—24-26. Arrangement.—Opposite. Fragrance.—Not fragrant. Shape.—Ovate. Length.—13-15 cm. Width.—8-9 cm. Apex.—Broadly Acuminate. Base.—Attenuate. Margin.—Lobed. Leaf texture.—Top: Pulverulent. Bottom: Smooth. Pubescence.—Not present. Venation color.—Upper surface: RHS 187A (dark red). Lower surface: RHS 187A (dark red). Venation pattern.—Upper surface: Reticulate. Lower surface: Reticulate. Color, immature leaf.—Upper surface: RHS 187A (dark red) with patches of RHS 144A (strong yellow green) in the understory. Lower surface: RHS N186C (dark greyish red). Color, mature leaf.—Upper surface: RHS 187A (dark red) with patches of RHS 144A (strong yellow green) in the understory. Lower surface: RHS 187A (dark red). Petiole length.—4-5 cm. Petiole diameter.—0.2-0.3 cm. Petiole color.—RHS 187A (dark red). Petiole texture.—Smooth, no pubescence. Flowers and seeds: Flowers and seeds have not been observed. Fruit/seed set: Fruit/seed not observed. Insect and disease resistance: Disease and insect resistance is typical of the species, thus no claims are made of any superior disease or insect resistance with this cultivar. The most common insect pests observed on this plant in Gainesville, Fla. have been long-tailed or citrus mealybugs (Pseudococcus sp.), which occur on older stock plant material held in the greenhouse for over 3-4 months. Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (Bunyaviridae) has also been observed in plants confined in greenhouses with mixed crops (peppers) infected with Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). The most common pathogen of this species in the U.S. is downy mildew (Perononspora lamii). This pathogen has been observed in stock materials grown closely together in cooler growing seasons.

COMPARISON WITH KNOWN CULTIVARS

(8) Plants of the new Coleus cultivar ‘UF19-79-2’ can be compared to those of ‘UF13-42-4’ (sold commercially under the trade name RUBY SLIPPER™, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,566). The color on the upper surface of mature leaves of ‘UF19-79-2’ is RHS 187A (dark red) with patches of RHS 144A (strong yellow green) in the understory. In contrast, the color on the upper surface of mature leaves of ‘UF13-42-4’ is RHS 185A (deep red) with margins colored RHS N144C (light green) in an irregular pattern. Additionally, ‘UF19-79-2’ has thicker stems (0.9 cm in diameter), whereas ‘UF13-42-4’ has thinner stems (0.5 cm in diameter).