SMHPZIND

Hydrangea

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'SMHPFL' (Fire Light) and 'Limelight'

Summary: The plants of 'SMHPZIND' are shorter than the plants of 'Limelight'. The colour of the stem of 'SMHPZIND' is dark red brown whereas the stem of 'SMHPFL' is brown and the stem of 'Limelight' is light brown green. The leaf blade of 'SMHPZIND' is larger with a longer petiole than the leaf blade of 'SMHPFL'. Plants of 'SMHPZIND' begin to flower mid to late season while the plants of 'SMHPFL' begin to flower mid-season. The inflorescence of 'SMHPZIND' is larger in diameter than 'SMHPFL' and smaller in diameter than the inflorescence of 'Limelight'. The calyx of the sterile flower of 'SMHPZIND' is larger in diameter than the calyx of 'Limelight'. When the sterile flower is newly open, the colour of the inner side of the sepal of 'SMHPZIND' is light green while the inner side of the sepal of 'SMHPFL' is yellow green. When the sterile flower is fully open, the colour of the inner side of the sepal of 'SMHPZIND' is light yellow and white with light green tones around the veins while the inner side of the sepal of 'SMHPFL' is white. When aged, the colour on the inner side of the sepal of a sterile flower from the distal part of the inflorescence of 'SMPHZIND' has tones of purple red with blue pink to light blue pink along the margin and the sepal of an aged sterile flower from the basal part of the inflorescence is purple red with light green at the base whereas the inner side of the sepal of 'SMHPFL' is purple red to purple and the inner side of the sepal of 'Limelight' is light green with purple red tones and darker purple red along margins.

Description:

PLANT: non-climbing type, semi-upright growth habit
STEM: no fasciation, dark red brown, white lenticels

LEAF BLADE: no lobing, elliptic shape, medium length of tip, obtuse base, shallow depth of incisions of margin, no variegation, medium green on upper side, absent or weak glossiness on upper side, medium degree of blistering

FLOWERING: begins mid to late season
INFLORESCENCE: conical shape, inconspicuous or slightly conspicuous fertile flowers
STERILE FLOWER: single type, medium degree of overlapping of sepals
STERILE FLOWER SEPAL: no incisions of margin on all sepals, when flower is newly open main colour of inner side is light green (RHS 145B-C), when flower is fully open main colour of inner side is light yellow (RHS 4D) and white (RHS 155C) with light green (RHS 145C) tones around veins, from aged flower in distal part of inflorescence colour of inner side has tones of purple red (RHS N57D) with blue pink to light blue pink (RHS 65A-D) along margin, from aged flower in basal part of inflorescence colour of inner side is purple red (RHS 54A-B) with light green (RHS 145C-D) at base
FERTILE FLOWER: white inner side of petal

Origin & Breeding History: 'SMHPZIND' was bred and developed by the breeder, Timothy D. Wood, of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. in Grand Haven, Michigan, USA. It originated from an open pollinated cross that occurred in July 2007 between the variety 'DVPPinky' as the female parent, and an unknown male parent. 'SMHPZIND' was selected in July 2009 for its strong stems, strong blooming, inflorescence made up of many small, showy sepals, and inflorescences that age to an attractive pink colour. Asexual reproduction of 'SMHPZIND' by softwood cuttings was first conducted in July 2009, in Grand Haven, Michigan, USA.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trial of 'SMHPZIND' was conducted as an outdoor container trial during the summer of 2014 at BioFlora Inc. in St. Thomas, Ontario. It included a total of 12 shrubs each of the candidate and reference varieties. All shrubs were grown from rooted cuttings and transplanted into 11.4 litre containers on June 19, 2013. Observations and measurements were taken from 10 shrubs or parts of shrubs of the candidate variety on August 15, 2014, from the reference variety 'SMHPFL' on July 28, 2014, and from the reference variety 'Limelight' on August 15, 2014. All colour determinations were made using the 2007 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'SMHPZIND' with reference varieties 'SMHPFL' and 'Limelight'

Plant height (cm)

Leaf blade length (cm)

Leaf blade width (cm)

Petiole length (cm)

Inflorescence diameter (cm)

Diameter of calyx of sterile flower (cm)

Colour of inner side of sepal (RHS)

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Hydrangea: 'SMHPZIND' (left) with reference varieties 'SMHPFL' (centre) and 'Limelight' (right)

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Hydrangea: 'SMHPZIND' (left) with reference varieties 'SMHPFL' (centre) and 'Limelight' (right)

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Hydrangea: 'SMHPZIND' (left) with reference varieties 'SMHPFL' (centre) and 'Limelight' (right)