Plant of the Cactaceae plant family

#The invention relates to a new and distinct plant variety of the Cactaceae family and which has been named the Zygocactus truncatus `Kris Kringle II` by the inventors.

#Certain plant varieties of the Cactaceae family are well known in the foliage plant market and among these are those which are commonly referred to as the Christmas Cactus varieties because they tend to bloom during the Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday season in the northern hemisphere. The Christmas Cactus varieties on the market have blooms which vary in color from one variety to the next as is evident from the current U.S. patent art. One of the more popular varieties is sold commercially in the market place is the variety that has been named Zygocactus truncatus "Kris Kringle". The variety has a "reddish" colored bloom and forms the subject matter of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,688.

#A general objective has been to develop a new plant variety with a "reddish" colored bloom and which is distinguishable from the "Kris Kringle" variety and capable of being marketed in competition therewith. The objective has been fully realized by the development of the new plant variety hereinafter described in detail. The new plant variety was developed in a nursery located at Winter Garden, Fla., as a hybrid secured by cross-pollinating the flower of an unnamed research variety (ZH3990-T) with pollen from the flower of yet another unnamed research variety (ZH6658). The seeds taken from the fertilized seed pod where cultivated at the mentioned nursery location and after prolonged observation of the seedlings the hybridized plant of the new variety was selected and asexually reproduced by the propagation of cuttings taken from the original hybrid.

#The accompanying drawings serve by color photographic means to illustrate the new plant variety and wherein one sheet shows a ten (10) month old specimen which was grown from the propagation of a single phylloclade in a conventional 3" pot found in the marketplace. A second sheet shows an enlargement of a fully open bloom taken from the specimen shown in previously mentioned sheet. Still another sheet shows a bloom as sectioned generally longitudinally through the perianth tube and ovary to expose the style and stamen arrangement. The last sheet shows three phylloclades taken from a specimen of the new variety, each phylloclade having an attached bud or bloom and illustrating the buds in progressing stages of maturity.

#The following is a detailed description of the new plant variety with colors and hues, unless otherwise clearly indicated by the text as, for example, through the absence of color notations, being named in accord with the ISCC-NBS Method of Designating Colors (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards, Circular 553), the named colors being interpreted from color notations derived by comparison with the color specimens of the Munsell Book of Color. The description is further based on observations of well fertilized plants of about one year of age from initial propagation which were grown under 50-70% shaded glasshouse nursery conditions in the Winter Garden, Fla. area and wherein temperatures range from 60.degree.-85.degree. F. during the winter months, from 75.degree.-95.degree. F. during the summer months, and are ambient during the intervening periods.

#I. Name: Zygocactus truncatus `Kris Kringle II`.

#II. Parentage: