The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera and given the cultivar name of ‘Milan’. Heuchera is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Milan’ originated from a cross between Heuchera 766-5, a proprietary non-commercial hybrid, as the seed parent, and Heuchera 758-1, a proprietary non-commercial hybrid, as, as the pollen parent.
Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera 766-5, the new cultivar has smaller leaf size, warm purplish pink rather than light pink to white flowers, silver rather than purple leaves.
Compared to the pollen parent, Heuchera 758-1, the new cultivar has larger, darker pink flowers, bigger leaves with more purple tones on the new growth.
Compared to Heuchera ‘Paris’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,881), the new cultivar has smaller leaves that are purple to silver rather than veiled green leaves.
Compared to Heuchera ‘Shanghai’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/653,617), the new cultivar has lighter colored leaves and pink rather than ivory flowers.
This new Heuchera is uniquely distinguished by:                1. very free flowering on short flower stalks,        2. very long bloom time (bloom from early spring to late fall in Canby, Oreg.),        3. excellent flower size and color,        4. well branched, small, mounding habit,        5. excellent vigor.        
This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tip cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds