Poinsettia ‘3-91’ With Blushed Red Bracts Is Sold as Monet Twilight™

Summary: Ecke poinsettia ‘3-91,’ cultivated by Ecke Ranch’s chief hybridizer, Franz Fruehwirth, has blushed red bracts and is sold as Monet Twilight™.

side view of poinsettia ‘3-91’ in images included in Franz Fruehwirth’s patent application, filed May 26, 1995, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): color scans via Plant Patent Image Database, Engineering & Physical Science Library (USPTO designation: College Park Patent & Trademark Resource Center), University of Maryland, CC BY 2.0, via University of Maryland’s Plant Patent Image Database @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/binaries/09600/pp09602.pdf

Ecke poinsettia ‘3-91,’ a Euphorbia pulcherrima cultivar by Franz Fruehwirth, Ecke Ranch’s chief hybridizer, has blushed red bracts and is sold as Monet Twilight™.

On May 26, 1995, Franz Fruehwirth filed a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for poinsettia ‘3-91.’ James R. Feyrer was the application’s primary examiner. Fruehwirth named Paul Ecke Ranch Inc. in Encinitas, southern California as assignee. On July 9, 1996, The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned plant patent number 9,602 to poinsettia ‘3-91.’

Poinsettia ‘3-91’ has its origins as a natural blushed red bracted sport of poinsettia ‘135.’ Its parent plant is a bicolored red and white bracted Euphorbia pulcherrima cultivar patented May 22, 1990, as plant patent number 7,234, by Franz Fruehwirth.

Fruehwirth noticed the sport’s unusual, blushed red bracts and self-branching trait. Its bract color differs distinctively from that of its parent plant. Poinsettia ‘135’ has variously shaped and sized red splotches scattered randomly against its bracts’ predominantly white background. The bracts of poinsettia ‘3-91’ reveal a more uniform blush over their surface as compared with the parent plant’s random splotches.

Vegetative propagation via stem cuttings was tested at the Ecke Ranch. The testing revealed that the blushing cultivar’s distinctive traits held true over successive generations.

The patent application for poinsettia ‘3-91’ describes flowering plants of the new poinsettia cultivar that were grown as three single stem plants per pot. The pot measured a diameter of 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) and a height of 11 centimeters (4.33 inches).

Poinsettia ‘3-91’ attains medium height as a shrub. The three unpinched plants attained an overall height of 40 centimeters (15.748 inches). Overall spread, or width, reached 44 centimeters (17.32 inches).

Each single-stemmed plant displayed an upright, vigorous growth habit. Self-branching side shoots also were present.

Axillary branches do not require pinching for developing and terminating in a flower. Fruehwirth, however, suggests pinching as a strategy for achieving fast, uniform development rates of all axillary branches.

Medium-sized leaves have typical blade lengths of 13 to 14 centimeters (5.11 to 5.51 inches). Blade widths typically measure about 9 centimeters (3.54 inches).

Ovate-shaped leaves have mostly entire margins, or edges. Occasionally one indentation lobes each side of the leaf blade.

Upper surfaces of developed leaves have nearly the greenness of dark green (The Royal Horticultural Society colour chart color 147A). Lower surfaces have nearly the greenness of brown green (RHS 147B).

Fruehwirth notes that the combination of continuous long night conditions and night temperatures at around 16 to 18 degrees Celsius (degrees Fahrenheit) triggers flowering in about 10 weeks. Poinsettia ‘3-91’ matured fully Dec. 4 in the Ecke greenhouse in Encinitas.

Fully-blooming ‘3-91’ poinsettias usually exhibit 18 to 21 cuplike flower heads known as cyathia (Ancient Greek: κύαθος. kyathos, "drinking cup"). Green-colored cyathia have red fringes at the distal, or outer, end.

Protruding from each cyathium’s side is a yellow nectar cup. The inventor finds the presence and abundance of nectar exudate, or secretion.

Each cyathium measures a length of about 7 millimeters (0.275 inches). The cyathium has a width of about 6 millimeters (0.236 inches).

Bracts, which are modified leaves, subtend, or underlie, poinsettia cyathia. About 15 to 18 variously-sized bracts generally subtend each cyathium.

Primary bracts have ovate shapes. One distinctive indention lobes either side of primary bracts.

Secondary bracts have elliptical shapes. Termed as entire, their margins are smooth and untoothed.

Primary bracts have large blades typically measuring lengths of 18 to 21 centimeters (7.08 to 8.26 inches) and widths of 12 to 14 centimeters (4.72 to 5.51 inches).

Secondary bracts have smaller, variously sized blades.

Upper surfaces of bracts have a blushed red appearance. A layer of creamy white (RHS 155B to 155D) cells underlie the surface layer.

Surface cells contain varying amounts of red pigment (nearly RHS 46B). The red pigment’s greater intensity in secondary bracts accounts for the overall solid redness of these smaller, inner bracts. The red pigment’s greater dilution in primary bracts accounts for the lightly blushed redness of these large, outer bracts.

Lower surfaces of bracts are creamy white (nearly RHS 155D). The surface layer of underside cells has a red tint (nearly RHS 46B).

Franz Fruehwirth reports in his patent application that poinsettia ‘3-91’ exhibits good bract and foliage retention. Even after confinement in shipping containers, poinsettia ‘3-91’ exhibits post-production resistance to epinasty, a condition of downward bending of leaves and other plant parts. Even low light intensities in a consumer’s home should not discourage retention.

Ecke Ranch's Poinsettia '3-91' sells commercially as ‘Monet Twilight’™: PattyHankins @PattyHankins via Twitter Dec. 19, 2015

Poinsettia ‘3-91’ is sold commercially under the trade name of ‘Monet Twilight’™. As assignee, Ecke Ranch notes the excellent amenability of ‘Monet Twilight’™ to growth in 4- to 10-inch (10.16- to 25.4-centimeter) containers and as trees. As a vigorous cultivar, ‘Monet Twilight’™ responds well to plant growth regulators (PGRs) for controlling height and strengthening stems. Calcium sprays promote stem strength and, when applied at first color, prevent bract edge burn.

Throughout production maintenance of even soil moisture is essential. Also the amount of salt in the soil needs to be monitored. High EC (electrical conductivity), which indicates high salinity, is damaging to bracts.

As a later bloomer, ‘Monet Twilight’™ requires warm temperatures during production. Otherwise flowering may be delayed.

Ecke Ranch indicates a nine-week response time. For example, flower initiation around Sept. 25 targets Dec. 5 timing.

The takeaway for commercial availability of blushed red bracted poinsettia ‘3-91’ as ‘Monet Twilight’™ is that the poinsettia with blushed red bracts strikingly decorates container and in-ground niches.

top view of poinsettia ‘3-91’ in images included in Franz Fruehwirth’s patent application, filed May 26, 1995, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): color scans via Plant Patent Image Database, Engineering & Physical Science Library (USPTO designation: College Park Patent & Trademark Resource Center), University of Maryland, CC BY 2.0, via University of Maryland’s Plant Patent Image Database @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/binaries/09600/pp09602.pdf

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

side view of poinsettia ‘3-91’ in images included in Franz Fruehwirth’s patent application, filed May 26, 1995, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): color scans via Plant Patent Image Database, Engineering & Physical Science Library (USPTO designation: College Park Patent & Trademark Resource Center), University of Maryland, CC BY 2.0, via University of Maryland’s Plant Patent Image Database @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/binaries/09600/pp09602.pdf

Ecke Ranch's Poinsettia '3-91' sells commercially as ‘Monet Twilight’™: PattyHankins @PattyHankins via Twitter tweet of Dec. 19, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/PattyHankins/status/678152059716157441

top view of poinsettia ‘3-91’ in images included in Franz Fruehwirth’s patent application, filed May 26, 1995, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): color scans via Plant Patent Image Database, Engineering & Physical Science Library (USPTO designation: College Park Patent & Trademark Resource Center), University of Maryland, CC BY 2.0, via University of Maryland’s Plant Patent Image Database @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/binaries/09600/pp09602.pdf

For further information:

International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. “Document TGP/14: Glossary of Technical, Botanical and Statistical Terms Used in UPOV Documents. Section 2: Botanical Terms: Subsection 3: Color: (2): Color Names for the RHS Colour Chart.” UPOV (Union Internationale Pour la Protection des Obtentions Végétales). Dec. 9, 2006.
Available @ http://www.upov.int/edocs/mdocs/upov/en/tc_edc/2007/tgp_14_draft_1_section_2_3_2.pdf

Marriner, Derdriu. "American Green Poinsettia Gardens for America's Toothed Spurge." Earth and Space News. Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/12/american-green-poinsettia-gardens-for.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "American Wild Poinsettia Gardens for America's Other Poinsettia." Earth and Space News. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/12/american-wild-poinsettia-gardens-for.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Poinsettia ‘Ice Punch’ Has Cherry Red and Pink Bicolored Flower Bracts.” Earth and Space News. Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/12/poinsettia-ice-punch-has-cherry-red-and.html

“Monet Twilight™ -- Tips and Basic Culture.” Ecke Ranch™ > Poinsettias > Poinsettia Crop Information > Monet Twilight™ > Tips and Basic Culture.
Available @ http://www.ecke.com/poinsettias/cropinformation/monettwilight/

PattyHankins @PattyHankins. “Monet Twilight Poinsettia.” Twitter. Dec. 19, 2015.
Available @ https://twitter.com/PattyHankins/status/678152059716157441

“Poinsettia Plant ‘3-91.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). July 9, 1996.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP009602

“Poinsettia Plant ‘4-91.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). May 17, 1994.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP008733

“Poinsettia Plant '135.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). May 22, 1990.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP007234

“PP09602 -- Poinsettia Plant ‘3-91.’” University of Maryland Libraries > Plant Patents Image Database. Scan Date: April 16, 2015, at 18:26:28.
Available @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/601

Williams, Jack. “Christmas Companions to Poinsettias.” L&GR (Lawn & Garden Retailer) magazineFebruary 2007.
Available @ http://lgrmag.com/article/christmas-companions-poinsettias/