‘Minngopher’ Chrysanthemum Has Seasonal or Year Round Dark Red Flowers

Summary: ‘Minngopher' chrysanthenum, cultivated by University of Minnesota breeder Richard Widmer, has dark red flowers that bloom seasonally or year round.

‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum, developed by Richard E. Widmer at University of Minnesota, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station: University of Minnesota, David L. Hansen, CC BY 4.0, via Minnesota Hardy/University of Minnesota

‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum, a newly cultivated variety of garden mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) by University of Minnesota breeder Richard E. Widmer, has an open spray formation of dark red flowers that blooms seasonally or year round.

On May 16, 1977, Richard E. Widmer filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for  his invention, a chrysanthemum named ‘Minngopher.’ The inventor listed the Regents of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, as assignee. Primary examiner Robert E. Bagwill reviewed the application. On Oct. 31, 1978, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted patent Plant 4,327 for ‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum.

‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum is the product of a cross of an unpatented, female Chrysanthemum morifolium ‘Ruby Mound’ as seed parent and an unnamed, unpatented male variety as pollen parent conducted by the inventor in 1970. The cross is conducted for the chrysanthemum component of the ongoing Herbaceous Perennial Breeding Program at the University of Minnesota.

The inventor selected a seedling, now known as ‘Minngopher,’ from the cross on the basis of medium-sized, distinctively dark red blooms and compact, short growth. Propagation by vegetative cuttings took place initially at St. Paul, Minnesota, and subsequently at West Chicago, Illinois, and Cortez, Florida. Propagated plants demonstrated stable, true retention of the original plant’s distinctive characteristics over successive generations.

The newly cultivated perennial grows with low spreading sturdiness. Each 'Minngopher' chrysanthemum plant exhibits a spherical shape that is completely topped with flowers. University of Minnesota horticultural science professor and breeder Neil Owen Anderson notes that the University of Minnesota's Herbaceous Perennial Breeding Program first developed the cushion habit, which is now the dominant garden mum habit worldwide. Anderson also points out that 'Minngopher' stands as the first patented cultivar to exemplify the cushion habit.

As an outdoor garden plant, ‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum reaches a height of about 11 to 15 inches (27.94 to 38.1 centimeters). As a greenhouse potted plant, ‘Minngopher’ rises about 4.5 to 7 inches (11.43 to 17.78 centimeters) above the rim.

Foliage appears abundantly as seven to nine leaves for every 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) of stem. Leaf length is about 4.25 to 7 inches (10.79 to 17.78 centimeters).

Lanceolate, or lance-shaped, leaves have deeply serrated lobes. Leaf texture is covered with fine whitish or grayish down, described as canescent (Latin: canescere, “to become gray or white”). Leaves have pinnate venation, with a main vein, branched by smaller veins. The application describes the upper and lower surfaces of leaves as yellow green.

The natural flowering season for ‘Minngopher’ runs from late September to early October. The newly cultivated variety’s response to photoperiod control allows for year-round blooming capability. The inventor’s recommended flowering spans March 1 to Nov. 1.

‘Minngopher’ bears flowers as a head of many linear ray florets, arranged decoratively in a generally open spray formation. Floret texture is medium firm. Florets have a slight shining appearance, with very little fading.

Floral descriptions are given for indoor potted plants in March and April and for outdoor garden plants in October and November. Outer florets of indoor plants have upper surfaces that are dark purple red (Royal Horticultural Society color 46A) in March and red (RHS 45A, 45B) in April. Reverse sides are brown red (RHS 181A) in March and brown red (RHS 180A) in April.

Outer florets of outdoor plants are dark purple red (RHS 46A) in October and November. Reverse sides are red (RHS 42B) in October and brown red (RHS 180A) in November.

Inner florets of indoor plants are brown purple (RHS 187A) in March and dark purple red (RHS 46A) in April. Reverse sides are brown purple (RHS 187A) in March and brown red (RHS 179A, 179B) in April.

Inner florets of outdoor plants are dark purple red (RHS 46A) in October and dark purple red (RHS 187B) in November. Reverse sides are dark purple red (RHS 46A) in October and dark purple red (RHS 187C) in November.

From a distance of 6 feet, the general color tonality of blooms is red (RHS 46B) in March. In April, the general color tonality is red (RHS 45B, 45C).

‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum performs well in garden spaces seasonally and year-round. The inventor notes the “excellent performance” of ‘Minngopher’ as a 4- to 5-inch (10.16- to 12.7-centimeter) potted plant in spring, summer and autumn settings and also as seasonal garden chrysanthemum. 'Minngopher' also brings outdoor natural beauty indoors in perfect cut flower arrangements.

Year-round or seasonal, ‘Minngopher’ vivifies environments with rich, dark red flowers.

‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum, developed by Richard E. Widmer at University of Minnesota, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station: University of Minnesota, David L. Hansen, CC BY 4.0, via Minnesota Hardy/University of Minnesota

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum, developed by Richard E. Widmer at University of Minnesota, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station: University of Minnesota, David L. Hansen, CC BY 4.0, via Minnesota Hardy/University of Minnesota @ https://plus.google.com/photos/112473780924896698706/album/6186645353901835761/6186645404516514770?authkey=CMjDi9H2l8ricw

‘Minngopher’ chrysanthemum, developed by Richard E. Widmer at University of Minnesota, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station: University of Minnesota, David L. Hansen, CC BY 4.0, via Minnesota Hardy/University of Minnesota @ https://plus.google.com/photos/112473780924896698706/album/6186645353901835761/6186645544317837554?authkey=CMjDi9H2l8ricw

For further information:

Anderson, Neil O.; Vincent Fritz; Charlie Rohwer; Steven Poppe; Barbara E. Liedl; Shengrui Yao; Patricia Johnson; Judith Reith-Rozelle; Lee Klossner; Neal Eash. “Chrysanthemum x hybridum MammothTM ‘Dark Pink Daisy’ Garden Chrysanthemum.” HortScience, vol. 49, no. 12 (2014): 1595-1599.
Available @ http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/49/12/1595.extract

“Chrysanthemum.” New World Encyclopedia.
Available @ http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Chrysanthemum

“Chrysanthemum Classifications.” New York Botanical Garden Mertz LibGuides > Plant & Gardening Help > Chrysanthemum History and Flower Form.
Available @ http://libguides.nybg.org/content.php?pid=671296&sid=5780887

“Chrysanthemum Plant Named Minngopher.” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). Oct. 31, 1978.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP004327

International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. “Document TGP/14: Glossary of Technical, Botanical and Statistical Terms Used in UPOV Documents.” UPOV (Union Internationale Pour la Protection des Obtentions Végétales). Dec. 9, 2006.
Available @ http://www.upov.org/edocs/mdocs/upov/en/tc_edc/2007/tgp_14_draft_1_section_2_3_2.pdf

Marriner, Derdriu. "'Maroon Pride' Chrysanthemum Has Seasonal or Year Round Dark Red Flowers." Earth and Space News. Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/10/maroon-pride-chrysanthemum-has-seasonal.html