Penstemon plant named ‘Blackbeard’

Abstract

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental, winter-hardy, beardtongue plant, Penstemon Blackbeard with strictly upright, tightly-compact strong stems, lilac purple flowers for about four weeks and dark purple foliage. Useful in the landscape as a specimen plant, en masse or contain plant, and attractive to hummingbirds.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of hardy beardtongue plant, Penstemon Blackbeard 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 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. The plant used in the photograph is a two-year-old plant grown in full sun field in loamy sand soil in trial gardens of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich.

(2) FIG. 1 shows Blackbeard in the landscape.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower stems of Blackbeard.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(4) The following is a detailed description of Penstemon Blackbeard as observed and compared to other cultivars for two years in trial gardens and production fields at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The following description is of a two-year-old plant of Penstemon Blackboard in a full-sun display garden in Zeeland, Mich. with limited supplemental fertilizer and irrigation as needed and without any pinching or plant growth regulators. The new plant has not been observed under all possible environments, and 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 color descriptions are in accordance with the 2001 edition of The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, except where common dictionary color terms are used. Plant habit: Herbaceous winter-hardy, perennial with upright overall form; with new stems emerging from the base each spring; about 30 to 40 stems per plant; flowering in branched panicle; Plant size: About 86.0 cm in height, average stem 80.0 cm tall, and about 77.5 cm in width about 60 cm above soil; Root description: Fibrous, well-branched, developing to thickness of about 1.0 mm; color between RHS 161A and RHS 161B; Propagation: Shoot-tip cuttings; root initiation occurs in about 14 days at a temperature of 22 C.; Growth rate: Moderately vigorous; Crop time: About 12 to 14 weeks to finish in a 4 liter pot from rooted plug; Stem description: Terete; oppositely branched in distal region; glabrous; lustrous; average about 80.0 cm long and about 7.0 mm across near base; Stem color: Nearest RHS 187B; Internode: Average about 10 per stem, average internode length about 5.7 cm, larger toward flowers; Internode color: Same as surrounding stem; Foliage description: Simple; typically opposite; basal leaves oblanceolate, acute apex and sessile, attenuate, clasping base; cauline leaves lanceolate, narrowly acute apex and sessile, rounded clasping base; margin entire, nearly microscopically ciliolate; abaxial and adaxial surface glabrous, slightly lustrous adaxial and matte abaxial; fragrance not detected; Leaf size: Basal leaves to about 22.0 cm long and about 6.5 mm wide; cauline leaves about 8.5 cm long and about 2.2 cm wide; Leaf color: Lower basal leaves blend between RHS 137A and RHS 139A with blush of nearest RHS 187A, abaxial leaves nearest RHS 137A with blush of between RHS 187A and RHS 187B; cauline adaxial nearest RHS 184C; cauline abaxial nearest RHS 187B; Leaf venation: Pinnate; Vein color: Adaxial midrib between RHS N186C and RHS N186D, secondary veins nearest RHS N186D; abaxial midrib between RHS 182B and RHS 182A, and secondary veins nearest RHS N186D; Petiole: Leaves sessile; Peduncle: Branched panicle; smooth, glabrous; main stems vertical, branched at about 20 degrees below vertical; flowering portion to about 17.7 cm long and about 6.6 cm across; up to 70 flowers per panicle; Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 187B; Branches: Terete; opposite; glabrous, lustrous; lower branches about 5.0 cm long and about 2.0 mm diameter, decreasing distally; Branch color: Nearest RHS 187B; Pedicel: Terete; pubescent; average about 4.5 cm long and less than 1.0 mm diameter; Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 187B; Flower buds about one day prior to opening: About 22.0 mm long and about 6.0 mm wide; oblong ovoid; rounded apex; basal about 8.0 mm narrowed to a tube about 3.5 mm diameter, with rounded base; Bud color: Unopened petal portion nearest RHS 75A; Flowers: Zygomorphic; perfect; bilabiate with upper and lower lip fused in about basal 16.5 mm; about 27.0 mm long and about 20.0 mm across; face opening to nearly flat; lasting about five to seven days; Flower attitude: Mostly outward; Fragrance: None detected; Corolla: Glandular abaxial, glabrous adaxial; bilabitate, fused in basal 22.0 mm, with upper lip consisting of two lobes each about 4.5 mm across and 5.0 mm long; lower lip consisting of three lobes with center lobe about 5.0 mm across and 5.0 mm long and two side lobes about 6.0 mm across and 5.0 mm long; lobes with rounded apex and entire margin; average length about 27.0 mm long, about 20.0 mm across at face, about 10.0 cm diameter in central tube and about 4.0 mm diameter in basal one-third of tube; Corolla color: Abaxial between RHS N80D and RHS 75A; adaxial lobe face between RHS 75A and RHS N80D; adaxial tube center nearest RHS N155C; abaxial corolla between RHS N80D and RHS 75A; Gynoecium: One pistil; Style.About 23.0 mm long and less than about 2.0 mm wide; color white, lighter than RHS 155D. Stigma.Oblong, about 0.5 mm wide and about 0.7 mm long; color nearest RHS 155D. Androecium: Four; Filaments.About 20.0 mm long and about 1.0 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 155D. Anther.Elliptic; about 1.0 mm long and 0.5 mm across, versatile; color nearest RHS N186A. Pollen.Abundant color nearest RHS 155D. Calyx: Stellate, campanulate, fused at base; not adpressed to corolla; about 5.0 mm long and about 10.0 mm across; Sepals: Five; lanceolate, narrowly acute apex and fused base, entire margin; to about 1.5 mm wide above fusion point and 5.0 mm long; glabrous abaxial and adaxial; Sepal color: Abaxial color abaxial and adaxial color both nearest RHS N186B; Fruit: Septicidal capsule; ovoid with acute apex and rounded base; about 10.0 mm long and 5.5 mm across; color as developing nearest RHS N186C and with maturity between RHS 165A and RHS 165B; Seed: Irregular; about 1.0 mm long and about 1.0 mm diameter; color between RHS 200A and RHS 202A; Hardiness to at least U.S.D.A. zones 3 to 8.The new plant perform best with good drainage and is resistant to drought once established. Pest and disease resistance.Not known to show resistance beyond that typical of beardtongue plants. No other susceptibility or resistance to diseases or pests has been observed except that which is common to Penstemon.