Paint the Town Red

Dianthus

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Kahori' and 'Paint the Town Fancy'

Summary: The plants of 'Paint the Town Red' are taller than the plants of both reference varieties. The density of the plants for 'Paint the Town Red' are dense whereas they are of medium density for 'Kahori. The leaf of 'Paint the Town Red' is longer than the leaf of both reference varieties. The leaf of 'Paint the Town Red' is grey green with strong glaucosity whereas the leaf of 'Kahori' is medium green with weak glaucosity. The calyx of 'Paint the Town Red' is of medium length whereas the calyx of 'Kahori' is long. The inner side of the petal of 'Paint the Town Red' is medium purple to medium purple red whereas the petal of 'Kahori' is medium purple to dark blue pink and the petal of 'Paint the Town Fancy' is medium purple.

Description:

PLANT: dense, flowers positioned far above foliage
STEM: second internode below flower is thin and circular shape in cross-section, not hollow

LEAF: linear shape, absent or very weakly recurved, weakly concave in cross-section, gray green upper side, strong degree of glaucosity on upper side, spiny ciliation of margin present

CALYX: medium length, medium width, cylindrical form, weak intensity of anthocyanin colouration distributed along margin of the lobe
CALYX LOBE: straight along longitudinal axis, short to medium length
FLOWER BUD: elliptic shape, no extrusion of styles
FLOWER: single type
COROLLA: flat convex profile of upper part in lateral view, flat profile of lower part in lateral view
PETAL (INNER SIDE): main colour between medium purple to medium purple red (RHS 61B and N66A), differently coloured margin absent, no tertiary colour, no stripes, no speckles, no area of flush, no macule
PETAL MARGIN INCISIONS: many, deep
OVARY: elliptic shape, smooth surface
STYLE: only two, medium length, no shoulder
STIGMA: white with purple flush

Origin & Breeding History: 'Paint the Town Red' originated from a hybridization between the parents 'Neon Star' and 'Kahori' conducted at a research greenhouse in Zeeland, Michigan, USA on June 14, 2012. The new variety 'Paint the Town Red' was selected in 2014 in Zeeland, Michigan, USA based on flower type, plant habit, and disease resistance. Asexual reproduction by shoot tip cuttings was initiated at the same location in 2014.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trial for 'Paint the Town Red' was conducted outdoors during the summer of 2023 at Variety Rights Management, in Oxford Station, Ontario. The trial included a total of 15 plants each of the candidate and reference varieties. All plants were grown as 1 plant per 16 cm pot and the pots were spaced 40 cm apart. The observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants, or 10 parts of plants, of each variety. All colour determinations were made using the 2015 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'Paint the Town Red' with reference varieties 'Kahori' and 'Paint the Town Fancy'

Plant height (cm)

Leaf length (mm)

Main colour of petal (RHS)

Click on image for larger view

Dianthus: 'Paint the Town Red' (left) with reference varieties 'Kahori' (centre) and 'Paint the Town Fancy' (right)