Chrysanthemum plant named `Blushing Christine`

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

#Blushing Christine, identified as 7974 (89-755H01), is a product of a mutation induction program. The new cultivar was discovered and selected by inventor Leon Glicenstein on Sep. 1, 1993 in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif. as one flowering plant within a flowering block established as rooted cuttings from stock plants which had been exposed as unrooted cuttings to an X-ray source of 2000 rads in Fort Myers, Fla. on Jan. 28, 1993. The irradiated parent cultivar was the cultivar Christine, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,988 and described as a flat decorative garden mum with coral-red flower color.

#The irradiation program resulting in Blushing Christine has as its primary objective the expansion of color ranges of the parent cultivar Christine. The irradiation program comprised irradiation of cuttings of the parent cultivar at irradiation levels of 1500, 1750 and 2000 rads. A total of 466 cuttings harvested from a total of 225 irradiated plants were planted on Jun. 21, 1993. Of these, 4 initial selections were made, which selections were then revegetated and reflowered. One selection died during the revegetation process. Three consecutive flowerings resulted in discarding 1 of the original selections on Oct. 17, 1994. The remaining 2 selections were maintained as PIs (Possible Introductions) and further trialed in Salinas, Calif., Hightstown, N.J. and Leamington, Ontario, Canada, ultimately resulting in the decision to introduce one selection as Blushing Christine, and the other selection as Bold Christine, disclosed in pending application Ser. No. 08/605,820.

#The accompanying photographic drawing is a color photograph of Blushing Christine grown as a pinched garden mum under natural season outside conditions in Salinas, Calif., with the colors being as nearly ture as possible with illustrations of this type. Plants were grown outside and dug and transplanted in 15 cm pots for photography purposes.

#Of the commercial cultivars know to the inventor, the most similar in comparison to Blushing Christine is the parent cultivar Christine. All traits of Blushing Christine are similar to those of Christine, except for the ray floret color and the plant height. The ray floret color of Blushing Christine is greyed-red (R.H.S. 180D, with the center of the flower 182C), while the ray floret color of Christine is described as coral-red (R.H.S. 51A to 51B). Blushing Christine has a slightly shorter plant height than Christine.

#In the following description color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart. The color values were determined on plant material grown as a pinched garden mum grown outdoors in Salinas, Calif. on Sep. 1, 1995.

#Classification: