Ithaca, New York
January 9, 2008
Mauve Majesty is one cool lily
look-alike. This new pinkish-purple ornamental flower, just
patented by Cornell, can last for two weeks in a vase, but when
left in the garden, it blooms all summer long in the cooler,
northern states until the first hard freeze in the fall.
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Mauve Majesty is a
new pinkish-purple ornamental flower, just
patented by Cornell, that blooms all summer long
in the cooler, northern states until the first
hard freeze in the fall |
|
The new hybrid of the Inca lily
(Alstroemeria), which was developed by a
Cornell professor, is a
non-fragrant perennial that is set apart by its lavender-lilac
flower color (which is adorned with dark speckling and a creamy
yellow throat), its strong, upright flower stems and its winter
hardiness. In greenhouses, the new hybrid never goes dormant and
grows year-round.
Developed by Mark Bridgen, Cornell professor of horticulture and
director of the Department of Horticulture's Long Island
Horticultural Research and Extension Center, the hybrid is the
first ornamental plant patented by Cornell, according to Richard
Cahoon, associate director of Patents and Technology at
Cornell's Technology Transfer Office.
It is also one of the first in its color class to be hardy to
zone 6 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness
Zone Map (coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
New York and northern New Jersey and much of the Midwest) and
often to many parts of the cooler zone 5 (which includes western
Massachusetts, mid-state New York, northern Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois, much of Michigan, southern Iowa and
Nebraska, northern Missouri and Kansas, and eastern Colorado).
"Alstroemeria flowers, native to South America, are the fifth
most popular cut flower in the United States," said Bridgen, who
was recently awarded the 2008 Herbert Medal from the
International Bulb Society for meritorious achievement in
advancing knowledge of bulbous plants. "The flowers can often be
found in hotel lobbies and fancy restaurants because they don't
wilt for up to two weeks."
The hybrid, which botanically is not a lily, took five years to
develop, said Bridgen, which included testing it and growing in
large enough quantities to sell. It is now widely available
through nurseries and mail-order catalogs.
By Susan Lang
Flower
power: Cornell's newly patented Mauve Majesty 'lily' blooms all
summer
Meet Mauve Majesty. This new pinkish-purple, lily wanna-be,
recently patented by Cornell
University, can last for two weeks in a vase. But when left
in the garden, it blooms all summer long in the cooler, northern
climes until fall's first freeze.
The new hybrid of the Inca lily (Alstroemeria) is a nonfragrant
perennial with strong, upright flower stems that is set apart by
its lavender-lilac flower color - adorned with dark speckling
and a creamy yellow throat. In greenhouses, the new hybrid never
goes dormant and grows year-round.
Developed by Mark Bridgen, Cornell professor of horticulture and
director of the Department of Horticulture's Long Island
Horticultural Research and Extension Center in Riverhead, N.Y.,
the hybrid is the first ornamental plant patented by Cornell,
according to Richard Cahoon, associate director of patents and
technology at the Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise and
Commercialization.
Mauve Majesty is also one of the first in its color class to be
hardy to Zone 6 (which covers the coasts of Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and northern New Jersey and
much of the Midwest) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant
Hardiness Zone Map. And it often is hardy in many parts of the
cooler Zone 5 (which includes western Massachusetts, mid-state
New York, northern Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois,
much of Michigan, southern Iowa and Nebraska, northern Missouri
and Kansas and eastern Colorado).
"Alstroemeria flowers, native to South America, are the fifth
most popular cut flower in the United States," said Bridgen, who
was recently awarded the 2008 Herbert Medal from the
International Bulb Society for meritorious achievement in
advancing knowledge of bulbous plants. "The flowers can often be
found in hotel lobbies and fancy restaurants because they don't
wilt for up to two weeks."
Botanically not a lily, this flower took five years to develop,
said Bridgen, which included testing and growing it in large
enough quantities to sell. Mauve Majesty is now widely available
through nurseries and mail order catalogues, such as:
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