Chrysanthemum plant named `Empire Royal Champagne`

#The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora, and referred to by the cultivar name Empire Royal Champagne.

#Empire Royal Champagne is a product of a mutation induction program. The new cultivar was discovered and selected by the inventor in Mar. 1993 in a controlled environment in New Hartford, N.Y., as one flowering plant within a flowering block established as rooted cuttings from stock plants which had been exposed as rooted cuttings to an X-ray source of 1270-1800 rads in Mulberry, Fla., on Jan. 7, 1993. The irradiated parent cultivar was the cultivar Pink Champagne, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No.6,920 and described as a decorative garden mum with lavender pink color.

#The irradiation program resulting in Empire Royal Champagne had as its primary objective the expansion of color ranges of the parent cultivar Pink Champagne. The irradiation program comprised irradiating cuttings of the parent cultivar at radiation levels of a minimum of 1270 and a maximum of 1800 rads for 90 seconds. A total of 1375 cuttings harvested from a total of 500 irradiated plants were flowered on Mar. 8, 1993. Of these, 69 initial selections were made, which selections were then revegetated and reflowered on Aug. 28, 1993 and again on Feb. 6, 1994. Twelve selections remained stable, and were flowered on May 22, 1994 and Sep. 18, 1994 before choosing the final 3 selections. These three varieties were further trialed in New Hartford, N.Y. and Oxnard, Calif., ultimately resulting in the decision to introduce one selection as Empire Royal Champagne, one as Empire Gold Champagne and one as Empire PeachChampagne. The last two selections are disclosed in pending application Ser. Nos. 08/670,278 and 08/670,277, respectively.

#The accompanying color photographic drawing comprises a top perspective view showing typical inflorescence and foliage characteristics of Empire Royal Champagne, with colors being as nearly true as possible with illustrations of this type.

#In the following description color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart. The color values were determined between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM on Sep. 29, 1995 under 4,000 footcandles at New Hartford, N.Y.

#Classification:

#Botanical.--Dendranthema grandiflora cv Empire Royal Champagne.