Earth and Space News: Joseph Heuger hellebores

Showing posts with label Joseph Heuger hellebores. Show all posts

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican’ Has White Flowers and Dark Green Leaves

Summary: Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican,’ a hybrid hellebore by German breeder Joseph Heuger, has white flowers and dark green leaves.

side view of flower of Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican’ in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878419, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,641; Date of Patent March 8, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican,’ a hybrid hellebore (Helleborus niger x Helleborus argutifolius) by German hellebore hybridizer Joseph Heuger, has white flowers and dark green leaves.

On June 28, 2004, Heuger filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent for Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican.’ Primary examiner Kent Bell and assistant examiner Wendy C. Haas reviewed Heuger’s application. On March 8, 2005, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned plant patent number 15,641 to Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican.’

The new cultivar has its origins in a breeding program conducted by Heuger in January 1999. A cross-pollination of an unnamed, unpatented female Christmas rose, or black hellebore (Helleborus niger), seedling with an unnamed, unpatented male Corsican hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius) seedling took place at Heuger’s family nursery, Heuger Gartenbaubetriebe, in Glandorf, Lower Saxony state, northwestern Germany.

Heuger discovered and selected the flowering plant now known as Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican’ from among the cross-pollinated parents’ progeny. ‘HGC Green Corsican’ displayed distinctive traits of a good, compact and mounded habit; attractive flower and leaf colors; a lengthy flowering time. Propagation by divisions, begun in March 2001, revealed the retention and true reproduction of distinctive traits over successive generations.

Heuger’s patent application describes approximately 6-month-old plants that were grown during winter in 15-centimeter (5.9-inch) containers. During production, temperatures in the Heuger nursery’s glass-covered greenhouse registered about 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and about 14 degrees C (57.2 degrees F) during the night.

Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican’ has a temperature tolerance ranging from minus 10 to 36 degrees C (14 to 96.8 degrees F).

‘HGC Green Corsican’ exhibits a moderately vigorous growth habit. Its compact, mounded habit includes basal leaves and single flowers. Its height measures about 25 centimeters (9.84 inches). Its spread, or width, reaches about 56 centimeters (22.04 inches).

Basal leaves are palmately compound. Three to five leaflets radiate from each leaf’s petiole, or leaf stalk. Leaflet length ranges from about 6 to 14 centimeters (2.36 to 5.51 inches). Leaflet width is from 3 to 7 centimeters (1.18 to 2.75 inches).

Lanceolate, or lance-shaped, leaves have serrated margins. Glabrously textured upper and lower surfaces are hairlessly smooth.

Upper surfaces of fully expanded leaflets are dark green (between Royal Horticultural Society colour chart colors 137A and 147A). Veins are brown green (RHS 146C).

Lower surfaces of fully expanded leaflets are close to brown green (RHS 146B). Venation is brown green (RHS 146C), with an overlay of brown purple (RHS 183A).

‘HGC Green Corsican’ has slightly fragrant flowers with a long natural blooming season. Intermittent flowering takes place from December to February in Glandorf. On the plant, flowers last about 15 days.

A freely flowering habit yields about 25 developing flowers per plant over the blooming period. Flowers, which have upright to outward faces, are borne as single arrangements on mostly upright cymes (Latin: cyma, “young cabbage sprout”). Terminal buds on lateral stems follow firstly developing, central-stemmed, single terminal flower.

Ovoid, or egg-shaped, buds have a height of about 2 centimeters (0.78 inches) and a diameter of about 1 centimeter (0.39 inches). Coloring is light green (RHS 145D).

Each flower typically has five sepals, arranged in a single whorl. Tiny petals form inconspicuous nectaries.

Sepal length is about 3.9 centimeters (1.53 inches). Sepal width is about 3.5 centimeters (1.37 inches).

Broadly ovate, or egg-shaped, sepals have smooth, untoothed margins, described as entire. Glabrously textured upper and lower surfaces are satiny and hairlessly smooth.

Upper and lower surfaces of fully expanded sepals are white (RHS 155A), with light green (RHS 145D) toward the base. With development, coloring approaches light green (RHS 145D).

Peduncles, or flower stems, are strong, with upright orientation. Peduncles measure lengths of 12 to 20 centimeters (4.72 to 7.87 inches). Diameters range from about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.078 to 0.118 inches). Their coloring is light green (RHS 145C), with an overlay of brown purple (RHS 184C).

Pedicels, or small floral stalks, connect flowers with peduncles. Pedicel lengths are about 2 to 5 centimeters (0.787 to 1.96 inches). Diameter range is 6 to 8 millimeters (0.23 to 0.31 inches). Pedicels are strong, with an outwardly angled orientation. Their glabrous texture is hairlessly smooth. Pedicel coloring is light green (RHS 144D).

The takeaway for Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican’ is its winter showiness, with white flowers in a dark green leafy frame that lengthily blooms from December to February.

closeup of Helleborus ‘HGC Green Corsican’ flower in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878419, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,641; Date of Patent March 8, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Burrell, C. Colston; Judith Knott Tyler. Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2006.

Burrell, C. Colston; Judith Knott Tyler. “Not Your Mother’s Hellebores: A New Look at Species and Hybrids (Part 2).” Pacific Horticulture magazine. January 2008.
Available @ http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/not-your-mothers-hellebores-part-2/

“Hellebore (Helleborus niger Gold Collection® Green Corsican).” The National Gardening Association > Plants Database > Hellebores.
Available @ http://garden.org/plants/view/236921/Hellebore-Helleborus-niger-Gold-Collection-Green-Corsican/

“Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Green Corsican.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). March 8, 2005.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP015641

“HGC Jericho’℗. Heuger > Katalog Helleborus 2015-2016.
Available @ http://www.heuger.com/fileadmin/lookbook/page1.html#/16

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. “Helleborus ‘COSEH 210’ Has Large White Flowers and Sells as ‘HGC Joel’®.” Earth and Space News. Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/helleborus-coseh-210-has-large-white.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Helleborus ‘COSEH 710’ Has Light Green Flowers With Reddish Pink Flushes.” Earth and Space News. Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/11/helleborus-coseh-710-has-light-green.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Helleborus ‘COSEH 740’ Has White Flowers and Dark Green Leaves.” Earth and Space News. Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/11/helleborus-coseh-740-has-white-flowers.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Helleborus ‘HGC Double Surprise’ Has Purple-Spotted White Double Flowers.” Earth and Space News. Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/helleborus-hgc-double-surprise-has.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho’ Has Large White Flowers and Dark Green Leaves.” Earth and Space News. Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/02/helleborus-hgc-jericho-has-large-white.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ Has White Flowers and Dark Green Leaves.” Earth and Space News. Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/helleborus-hgc-josef-lemper-has-white.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ Has Red Purple-Spotted White Flowers.” Earth and Space News. Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/helleborus-hgc-lady-freckle-has-red.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Helleborus ‘HGC Silvermoon' Has White to Light Green Flowers.” Earth and Space News. Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/02/helleborus-hgc-silvermoon-has-white-to.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “A Helleborus Plant Named ‘COSEH 700’ Has Large Light Green Flowers.” Earth and Space News. Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-helleborus-plant-named-coseh-700-has.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “A Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Jacob’ Has White to Light Green Flowers.” Earth and Space News. Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-helleborus-plant-named-hgc-jacob-has.html

“PP15641 -- Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Green Corsican.’” University of Maryland > Plant Patents Image Database.
Available @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/11606

Rice, Graham; Elizabeth Strangman. The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores. Newton Abbot, England: David and Charles, 2005.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin’ Has Dark Purple Flowers and Dark Green Leaves

Summary: Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin,’ a Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) cultivar by German breeder Joseph Heuger, has dark purple flowers and dark green leaves.

side view of flower of Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin’ in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878415, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,705; Date of Patent March 29, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin,’ a Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) cultivar by German hellebore hybridizer Joseph Heuger, has dark purple flowers and dark green leaves.

On June 28, 2004, Heuger filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent for Helleborus orientalis ‘HGC Merlin.’ Primary examiner Kent Bell and assistant examiner Wendy C. Haas reviewed Heuger’s application. On March 29, 2005, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned plant patent number 15,705 to Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin.’

‘HGC Merlin’ has its origins in a breeding program conducted in January 1999 by Heuger. Unnamed, unpatented female and male Helleborus orientalis seedlings were cross-pollinated in a controlled environment at Heuger’s family nursery, Heuger Gartenbaubetriebe, in Glandorf, Lower Saxony state, northwestern Germany.

Heuger discovered and selected the flowering plant now known as ‘HGC Merlin’ from among the cross-pollinated parents’ offspring. ‘HGC Merlin’ displayed distinguishing traits of a mounded, upright habit; attractive flower and leaf colorings; relatively early and long blooming period. Propagation by divisions, begun in March 2001, confirmed the retention and true reproduction of the new cultivar’s distinguishing traits over successive generations.

Heuger’s application describes 6-month-old plants that were grown in 15-centimeter (5.9-inch) containers during winter. Production temperatures in the Heuger nursery’s glass-covered greenhouse were about 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and about 14 degrees C (57.2 degrees F) during the night.

Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin’ has a temperature tolerance that ranges from minus 12 to 36 degrees C (10.4 to 96.8 degrees F).

‘HGC Merlin’ has a moderately vigorous growth habit. The new cultivar’s upright, mounded form includes basal leaves and single flowers. Height measures about 20 centimeters (7.87 inches). Spread, or width, is about 40 centimeters (15.74 inches).

Basal leaves are palmately compound. Five to seven leaflets radiate from each leaf’s petiole, the leaf stalk that attaches the leaf to the stem.

Lanceolate, or lance-shaped, leaves have serrated margins. Glabrously textured upper and lower surfaces are hairlessly smooth.

Upper surfaces of fully expanded leaflets are dark green (Royal Horticultural Society colour chart color 147A). Veins are brown green (RHS 146B to 146C).

Lower surfaces of fully expanded leaves are brown green (RHS 147B). Veins are brown green (RHS 146C).

Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin’ has a relatively early and lengthy natural flowering season. Intermittent flowering occurs from November to February in Glandorf. A freely flowering habit yields about 10 developing flowers per plant over the blooming period. On the plant, flowers last about 10 days.

The cultivar’s single rounded flowers are each borne in a single arrangement on short peduncles, or floral stems. Each plant typically has more than one peduncle.

Ovoid, or egg-shaped, buds have a height of about 1.4 centimeters (0.55 inches). Bud diameter is about 1.1 centimeters (0.43 inches). Coloring is between dark violet (RHS 79A) and brown purple (RHS 187A).

Flowers droop outwardly. ‘HGC Merlin’ has no detectable fragrance.

Petals are tiny and form inconspicuous nectaries. Sepals, typically numbering five, are arranged as a single whorl for each flower. Sepal length is about 3.5 centimeters (1.37 inches). Sepal width is about 3.3 centimeters (1.29 inches).

Broadly ovate, or egg-shaped, sepals have smooth, untoothed margins, described as entire. Upper and lower surfaces have a glabrous texture that is satiny and hairlessly smooth.

Upper and lower surfaces of developing and fully expanded sepals are between dark violet (RHS 79A) and brown purple (RHS 187A).

Peduncles are strong, with a straight to bent orientation. Length range is from about 3 to 5 centimeters (1.18 to 1.96 inches). Peduncle diameter is about 1.5 millimeters (0.059 inches). Glabrously textured peduncles are hairlessly smooth. Colorings is brown green (RHS 146C), with an overlay of dark purple red (RHS 187C).

Heuger’s 2015-2016 hellebore catalog lists ‘HGC Merlin’®℗ as available in containers sized 15 to 19 centimeters (5.90 to 7.48 inches). Growth is described as vigorous. Heating, at a maximum temperature of 14 degrees C (57.2 degrees F), is slated for the end of January. The beginning of February is targeted as selling start date.

The takeaway for Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin’ is the winter interest of the Lenten rose cultivar’s showy dark purple flowers, in fresh cut arrangements and in in-ground and potted garden niches, throughout a relatively early and long flowering season that begins in late autumn and lasts throughout winter.

closeup of Helleborus ‘HGC Merlin’ flower in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878415, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,705; Date of Patent March 29, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Burrell, C. Colston; Judith Knott Tyler. Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2006.

“Hellebore (Helleborus Gold Collection® Merlin).” The National Gardening Association > Plants Database > Hellebores.
Available @ http://garden.org/plants/view/586946/Hellebore-Helleborus-Gold-Collection-Merlin/

“HGC Merlin’®℗.” Heuger > Katalog Helleborus 2015-2016.
Available @ http://www.heuger.com/fileadmin/lookbook/page5.html#/34

“PP15705 -- Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Merlin.’” University of Maryland > Plant Patents Image Database.
Available @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/11671

Rice, Graham; Elizabeth Strangman. The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores. Newton Abbot, England: David and Charles, 2005.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho’ Has Large White Flowers and Dark Green Leaves

Summary: Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho,’ a Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) cultivar by German breeder Joseph Heuger, has large white flowers and dark green leaves.

side view of flower of Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho’ in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878420, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,640; Date of Patent March 8, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho,’ a Christmas rose, or black hellebore (Helleborus niger), cultivated by German hellebore hybridizer Joseph Heuger, has large white flowers and dark green leaves.

On June 28, 2004, Heuger filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, for a patent for Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho.’ Primary examiner Kent Bell and assistant examiner Wendy C. Haas reviewed Heuger’s application. On March 8, 2005, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned plant patent number 15,640 to Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho.’

‘HGC Jericho’ has its origins in a breeding program conducted by the inventor in November 1997. A cross-pollination of unnamed, unpatented female and male Helleborus niger seedlings took place in a controlled environment at the Heuger family nursery, Heuger Gartenbaubetriebe, in Glandorf, Lower Saxony state, northwestern Germany. Heuger discovered and selected the flowering plant now known as Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho’ from among the cross-pollinated parents’ progeny.

‘HGC Jericho’ displayed unique traits of compact plant habit; attractively colored flowers and foliage; relatively early and lengthy blooming period. Propagation by divisions, begun in March 2000, showed the retention and true reproduction of the new cultivar’s distinctive traits over successive generations.

The patent application described plants, at approximately 6 months old, that were grown indoors in 15-centimeter (5.9-inch) containers during winter. During production, temperatures in the glass-covered greenhouse in Glandorf registered 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 14 degrees C (57.2 degrees F) during the night.

Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho’ has a temperature tolerance ranging from minus 15 to 36 degrees C (5 to 96.8 degrees F).

‘HGC Jericho’ hellebore’s growth habit is moderately vigorous. Its plant habit is compact, with basal leaves and single flowers. ‘HGC Jericho’ measures a height of about 16 centimeters (6.29 inches). Its spread, or width, is about 27 centimeters (10.62 inches).

Basal foliage features a palmately compound arrangement. Each leaf comprises four to nine leaflets.

Leaflet lengths range from about 5 to 8.5 centimeters (1.96 to 3.34 inches). Leaflet widths measure from about 1.5 to 4 centimeters (0.59 to 1.57 inches).

Lanceolate, or lance-shaped, leaflets have serrated margins. Glabrously textured upper and lower surfaces are hairlessly smooth.

Upper surfaces of fully expanded leaflets are dark green (Royal Horticultural Society colour chart 147A). Lower surfaces are brown green (RHS 147B). Veins of upper and lower surfaces are brown green (RHS 146C).

Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho’ has a naturally early and lengthy blooming season. Intermittent flowering happens from October to February in Glandorf. A freely flowering habit produces about 15 developed flowers per plant over the blooming season. On the plant, slightly fragrant flowers last about 10 days.

Ovoid, or egg-shaped, buds measure about 1.5 centimeters (0.59 inches) in height. Bud diameter is about 9 millimeters (0.35 inches). Bud color is light green (RHS 145C).

Each flower has about seven to nine sepals, arranged in a single whorl. Tiny petals form inconspicuous nectaries.

Sepal length is about 3.5 centimeters (1.37 inches). Sepal width is about 3 centimeters (1.18 inches).

Broadly ovate, or egg-shaped, sepals have smooth margins, described as entire. Glabrously textured upper and lower surfaces are satiny and hairlessly smooth.

Upper and lower surfaces of fully expanded sepals are white (RHS 155D). With development, coloring approaches light green (RHS 145B).

Flowers present outward, upright faces atop strong, upright peduncles, or floral stalks. Glabrous peduncles are hairlessly smooth. Peduncle coloring is light green (RHS 145A).

Peduncles measure lengths of about 5 to 15 centimeters (1.96 to 5.90-inches). Diameters range from 3 to 5 millimeters (0.11 to 0.19 inches).

Heuger’s 2015-2016 hellebore catalog sells ‘HGC Jericho’℗ in containers sized 11 to 15 centimeters (4.33 to 5.9 inches). Its growth is described as compact. The catalog targets the beginning of November as the start date for selling ‘HGC Joshua’℗.

The takeaway for Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho’ is the lengthy enjoyment of the hellebore’s large white flowers and dark green leaves, in fresh cut arrangements or in in-ground or potted garden niches, that is afforded by an early and lengthy flowering that begins in October and lasts into February.

closeup of Helleborus ‘HGC Jericho’ flower in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878420, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,640; Date of Patent March 8, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Burrell, C. Colston; Judith Knott Tyler. Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2006.

“Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Jericho.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). March 8, 2005.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP015640

“HGC Jericho’℗. Heuger > Katalog Helleborus 2015-2016.
Available @ http://www.heuger.com/fileadmin/lookbook/page1.html#/16

“PP15640 -- Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Jericho.’” University of Maryland > Plant Patents Image Database.
Available @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/11606

Rice, Graham; Elizabeth Strangman. The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores. Newton Abbot, England: David and Charles, 2005.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ Has Red Purple-Spotted White Flowers

Summary: Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle,’ a Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) variety by German hybridizer Joseph Heuger, has red purple-spotted white flowers.

side view of flower of Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878416, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,618; Date of Patent March 1, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle,’ a Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) variety by German hellebore hybridizer Joseph Heuger, has red purple-spotted white flowers.

On June 28, 2004, Heuger filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent for Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle.’ Primary examiner Kent Bell and assistant examiner Wendy C. Haas reviewed Heuger’s application. On March 1, 2005, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned plant patent number 15,618 to Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle.’

Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ has its origins in a breeding program established in January 1999 by Joseph Heuger at his family’s nursery, Heuger Gartenbaubetriebe, in Glandorf, Lower Saxony state, northwestern Germany. Unnamed, unpatented female and male Helleborus orientalis seedlings were cross-pollinated in a controlled environment. The inventor discovered and selected the flowering plant now known as Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ from among the cross-pollinated parents’ offspring.

The new variety displayed distinctive traits, such as attractive flower and leaf colorations; a mounded, upright habit; relatively early flowering. Propagation by divisions, begun in March 2001, confirmed the retention and true reproduction of the new cultivar’s unique features over successive generations.

Heuger’s patent application describes plants, at about 6 months of age, grown indoors in 15-centimeter (5.90-inch) containers during winter. During production, the day temperature in the glass-covered greenhouse in Glandorf registered about 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The night temperature was about 14 degrees C (57.2 degrees F).

Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ has a temperature tolerance that ranges from minus 12 to 36 degrees C (10.4 to 96.8 degrees F).

The new cultivar’s moderately vigorous growth yields a mounded, upright plant habit, with basal leaves and single flowers. Plant height measures about 25 centimeters (9.84 inches). Width, or spread, measures about 40 centimeters (15.748 inches).

Basal foliage is palmately compound. Five to six leaflets radiate from the leaf’s single attachment point at the distal, or far, end of the petiole, or leaf stalk.

Leaflet lengths range from 6 to 9.5 centimeters (2.36 to 3.74 inches). Widths range from about 2.2 to 3.5 centimeters (0.86 to 1.37 inches).

Lanceolate, or lance-shaped, leaflets have serrated margins. Glabrous surface textures are hairlessly smooth.

Upper surfaces of fully expanded leaflets are dark green (Royal Horticultural Society colour chart color 147A). Lower surfaces are brown green (RHS 147B). Venation of upper and lower surfaces is brown green (RHS 146D).

Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ has a relatively early and long natural blooming period. Intermittent flowering stretches from November to February in Glandorf. On the plant, flowers last about 10 days.

The new variety’s floral type and habit reveal single, outwardly drooping, rounded flowers, each in a single arrangement on short peduncles, or floral stems. Peduncles are about 4.5 centimeters (1.77 inches) in length, with a diameter of about 2 millimeters (0.07 inches).

Despite their bent orientation, peduncles are moderately strong. Their glabrous texture is hairlessly smooth. Coloring is light green (RHS 145A).

A freely flowering habit encourages about 15 developed flowers per plant over the blooming period. Typically each plant has more than one flowering stem.

Ovoid, or egg-shaped, flower buds measure a diameter of about 1 centimeter (0.39 inches) and a height of about 1.5 centimeters (0.59 inches). Bud coloring is light green (RHS 145C to 145D).

Flowers have minute petals that form inconspicuous nectaries. Sepals typically number five per flower, forming a single whorl.

Sepal length and width have identical measurements. Sepals measure 3 centimeters (1.18 inches) in length and also in width.

Broadly ovate, or egg-shaped, sepals have smooth, untoothed margins, described as entire. Glabrous upper and lower surface textures are hairlessly and satiny smooth.

Upper and lower surfaces of developing and fully expanded sepals are white (RHS 155C). Spots toward the center of upper surfaces are dark purple red (RHS 59B).

The takeaway for Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ is the lengthy opportunities, via the new Heuger hellebore’s early and extensive blooming period, for enjoyment of red purple-spotted white flowers that top light green floral stems and contrast attractively with dark green leaves.

closeup of Helleborus ‘HGC Lady Freckle’ flower in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878416, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,618; Date of Patent March 1, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Burrell, C. Colston; Judith Knott Tyler. Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2006.

“Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Lady Freckle.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). March 1, 2005.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP015618

Marriner, Derdriu. "Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ Has White Flowers and Dark Green Leaves." Earth and Space News. Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/helleborus-hgc-josef-lemper-has-white.html

“PP15618 -- Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Lady Freckle.’” University of Maryland > Plant Patents Image Database.
Available @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/11584

Rice, Graham; Elizabeth Strangman. The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores. Newton Abbot, England: David and Charles, 2005.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ Has White Flowers and Dark Green Leaves

Summary: Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper,’ a Helleborus niger cultivar by German helleborist Joseph Heuger, has large white flowers and dark green leaves.

side view of flower of Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878417, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,615; Date of Patent March 1, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper,’ a Christmas rose, or black hellebore (Helleborus niger), cultivar by German hellebore hybridizer Joseph Heuger, has large white flowers and dark green leaves.

On June 28, 2004, Heuger filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent for a Helleborus plant named ‘HGC Josef Lemper.’ Primary examiner Kent Bell and assistant examiner Wendy C. Haas reviewed Heuger’s application. On March 1, 2005, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned plant patent number 15,615 to Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper.’

Helleborus ‘Josef Lemper’ has its origins in a breeding program conducted in November 1997 by Heuger at his family’s nursery, Heuger Gartenbaubetriebe, in Glandorf, Lower Saxony state, northwestern Germany. Unnamed, unpatented female and male Helleborus niger seedlings were cross-pollinated. The inventor discovered and selected the flowering plant now known as ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ from among the program’s progeny.

Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ displayed distinctive traits of upright habit, dark green foliage and relatively early blooming of large white flowers. Propagation by divisions, begun in March 2000, revealed the retention and true reproduction of the new cultivar’s unique traits.

The patent application describes plants, about 6 months old, that were grown inside the Heuger nursery’s glass-covered greenhouse during winter in 15-centimeter (5.9-inch) containers. During production, day temperatures were at about 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Night temperatures were at about 14 degrees C (57.2 degrees F).

The application indicates a temperature tolerance ranging from minus 15 to 36 degrees C (5 to 96.8 degrees F).

The upright plant has a moderately vigorous growth habit and a freely flowering habit. Height reaches about 27 centimeters (10.62 inches). Spread, or width, measures about 33 centimeters (12.99 inches).

Foliage emerges in a basal arrangement of palmately compound leaves. Six to nine leaflets radiate from the leaf’s single attachment point, the distal, or far, end of the petiole, or leaf stalk.

Leaflet length measures about 4.5 to 8 centimeters (1.77 to 3.14 inches). Leaflet width is about 2.5 to 3 centimeters (0.98 to 1.18 inches).

Leaflets are lanceolate, or lance-shaped. Their margins are serrated. Glabrous textures of upper and lower surfaces are hairlessly smooth.

Upper surfaces of fully developed leaflets are dark green (Royal Horticultural Society colour chart color 137A). Veins are colored brown green (RHS 146C).

Lower surfaces of fully developed leaflets are brown green (RHS 147B). Veins are colored brown green (RHS 146D).

Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ has a naturally early flowering season. Intermittent flowering occurs from October to February in Glandorf. On the plant, flowers last about 10 days.

Buds are ovoid, or egg-shaped. Their height is about 2 centimeters (0.78 inches), with a diameter of about 1.2 centimeters (0.47 inches). Coloring is white (RHS 155A).

Single rounded flowers, with upright to outward faces, singly top upright peduncles, or floral stems. The slightly fragrant hellebore’s freely flowering habit yields about 15 developed flowers per plant at one time.

Peduncles have length ranges of about 15 to 25 centimeters (5.9 to 9.84 inches). Diameters range from about 4 to 7 millimeters (0.15 to 0.27 inches). Strong and upright, peduncles have glabrous textures that are hairlessly smooth. Peduncle coloring is light green (RHS 145B) with brown purple (RHS 183A) spots.

Flowers have tiny petals that form inconspicuous nectaries. Sepals typically number five, arranged in a single whorl.

Sepal length is about 4.5 centimeters (1.77 inches). Sepal width is about 4 centimeters (1.57 inches).

Broadly ovate, or egg-shaped, sepals have rounded apices, or tips. Entire margins are smooth and untoothed. Texture of upper and lower surfaces is described as satiny and glabrous, with hairless smoothness.

Upper and lower surfaces of fully expanded sepals is very white (whiter than RHS 155D). Toward the base coloring is light green (RHS 144B). With development, coloring nears dark green (RHS 144A).

Heuger’s 2015-2016 Helleborus catalog sells ‘HGC Josef Lemper’℗, described as having medium growth vigor, in containers sized 13 to 15 centimeters (5.11 to 5.90 inches). Heating, at a maximum of 14 degrees C (57.2 degrees F), should start at the end of November. Selling is targeted for the beginning of December.

The takeaway for Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ is the large white flowered, dark green leafed cultivar’s availability, in fresh cut arrangements and in pots, over a lengthy, autumn to late winter blooming period.

closeup of flower and peduncle of Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878417, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,615; Date of Patent March 1, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

closeup of Helleborus ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ flower and peduncle in images included in Joseph Heuger’s patent application, filed Monday, June 28, 2004, as application number 10/878417, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP15,615; Date of Patent March 1, 2005; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries, @ https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/PP15615; (former URL @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/binaries/15600/pp15615.pdf)

For further information:

Burrell, C. Colston; Judith Knott Tyler. Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2006.

“Hellebore (Helleborus niger Gold Collection® Josef Lemper).” The National Gardening Association > Plants Database > Hellebores.
Available @ http://garden.org/plants/view/236933/Hellebore-Helleborus-niger-Gold-Collection-Josef-Lemper/

“Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Josef Lemper.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). March 1, 2005.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP015615

“’HGC Josef Lemper’℗.” Heuger > Katalog Helleborus 2015-2016.
Available @ http://www.heuger.com/fileadmin/lookbook/page4.html#/18

“PP15615 -- Helleborus Plant Named ‘HGC Josef Lemper.’” University of Maryland > Plant Patents Image Database.
Available @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/11581

Rice, Graham; Elizabeth Strangman. The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores. Newton Abbot, England: David and Charles, 2005.