Jade

Coneflower

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'White Swan'

Summary: 'Jade' has a slightly taller plant with smaller leaves than 'White Swan'. The petiole of 'Jade' is slightly longer than 'White Swan'. 'Jade' has a smaller floret disc both in diameter and height than 'White Swan'. The disc florets of 'Jade' are dark green to a light yellow brown while in 'White Swan' they are yellow brown to a light yellow brown.

Description:

'Jade' is a vegetatively propagated perennial purple coneflower variety with an upright bushy growth habit and low to medium degree of branching. The stem is dark green with sparse pubescence. The simple type dark green leaves with entire margins are arranged alternately, are lanceolate in shape with an acute apex and attenuate base. There is no variegation on the leaf, and there is a petiole present.

'Jade' flowers once mid to late in the season, for a medium to long period of time. The erect head type inflorescence is found both terminally and axillary. The medium number of florets have white ray florets that are straight along the longitudinal axis. The floret disc is dark green to a light yellow brown colour.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Jade' was selected in 1995 in Rijpwetering, the Netherlands, from a seed bed of hybrid Echinacea purpurea seedlings that were produced from various crosses of unidentified Echinacea purpurea seedling selections. The new variety was selected on the basis of its unique floral characteristics.

Tests & Trials: Ten plants of each were grown in field plots with plants spaced approximately 0.40 metres within the row and 1.0 metre between the rows, during the summer of 2003 at Oxford Station, Ontario. Unless otherwise indicated measured characteristics were based on ten plant measurements.

Comparison tables for 'Jade' with reference variety 'White Swan'

Plant height (cm)

Leaf length (cm)

Leaf width (cm)

Petiole length (mm)

Floret disc diameter (mm)