Hydrangea plant named ‘Brenhill’

Botanical designation: Hydrangea quercifolia.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BRENHILL’.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Hydrangea plant, botanically known as Hydrangea quercifolia and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Brenhill’.

The new Hydrangea plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Cleveland, Ala. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new Hydrangea plants with interesting inflorescence forms.

The new Hydrangea plant originated from an open-pollination in 1992 of an unnamed seedling selection of Hydrangea quercifolia , not patented, as the female, or seed parent with an unknown selection of Hydrangea quercifolia as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Hydrangea plant was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled environment in Cleveland, Ala. in 1998.

Asexual reproduction of the new Hydrangea plant by softwood cuttings in a controlled environment in Cleveland, Ala. since July, 2000 has shown that the unique features of this new Hydrangea plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

Plants of the new Hydrangea have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Brenhill’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Brenhill’ as a new and distinct Hydrangea plant:

1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit. 2. Vigorous growth habit. 3. Strong and sturdy stems. 4. Early flowering habit. 5. Large inflorescences with large creamy white-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Hydrangea differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

1. Leaves of plants of the new Hydrangea are more deeply lobed and darker green in color than leaves of plants of the female parent selection. 2. Plants of the new Hydrangea flower earlier than plants of the female parent selection. 3. Plants of the new Hydrangea have larger sterile flowers than plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Hydrangea can be compared to plants of Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,458. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Hydrangea differed primarily from plants of ‘Snow Queen’ in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Hydrangea flowered earlier than plants of ‘Snow Queen’. 2. Plants of the new Hydrangea had larger inflorescences than plants of ‘Snow Queen’. 3. Plants of the new Hydrangea had larger sterile flowers than plants of ‘Snow Queen’.

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the unique appearance of the new Hydrangea plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Hydrangea plant.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Brenhill’.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Brenhill’.

Plants used for the aforementioned photographs and the following description were grown during the summer in ground beds and in three-gallon containers in an outdoor nursery in Grand Haven, Mich. and under cultural practices typical of commercial Hydrangea production. Plants of the new Hydrangea were three years old when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical description: Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Brenhill’. Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent .—Unnamed seedling selection of Hydrangea quercifolia , not patented. Male, or pollen, parent .—Unknown selection of Hydrangea quercifolia , not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting .—By softwood cuttings. Time to initiate roots, summer .—About 28 days at temperatures of about 24° C. Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer .—About four months at temperatures of about 24° C. Root description .—Fine, fibrous; white in color. Rooting habit .—Freely branching; dense.

Plant description:

Plant form and growth habit .—Perennial deciduous shrub; upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; broad inverted triangle; strong and sturdy lateral branches; freely branching habit with about four lateral branches per plant; vigorous growth habit. Plant height .—About 51 cm. Plant diameter or area of spread .—About 63 cm. Lateral branches .—Length: About 32 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Internode length: About 4 cm. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Strength: Strong, sturdy. Color: Close to 166D; with development becoming closer to 199D.

Leaf description:

Arrangement .—Opposite, simple. Length .—About 13 cm. Width .—About 9.5 cm. Shape .—Ovate. Apex .—Acuminate. Base .—Obtuse. Margin .—Palmately lobed; serrulate. Texture, upper surface .—Leathery; pubescent. Texture, lower surface .—Coarse; pubescent. Venation pattern .—Palmate. Color .—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 146B. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 138C. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 146A; venation, close to 139D. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to 145A. Petioles .—Length: About 3 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 176D. Color, lower surface: Close to 145B.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit .—Single sterile and fertile flowers arranged on large terminal mophead-type panicles; flowers face upright or outwardly. Fragrance .—Strongly fragrant; pleasant. Natural flowering season .—Plants flower continuously throughout the summer in Grand Haven, Mich. Quantity of flowers .—Freely flowering habit; about 320 fertile flowers and about 32 sterile flowers per inflorescence. Inflorescence height .—About 10.5 cm. Inflorescence diameter .—About 9 cm. Flower diameter, fertile flowers .—About 8 mm. Flower depth ( height ), fertile flowers .—About 4 mm. Flower diameter, sterile flowers .—About 3.3 cm. Flower depth ( height ), sterile flowers .—About 2 mm. Flower buds, fertile flowers .—Length: About 2 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Shape: Obovate. Color: Close to 154C. Flower buds, sterile flowers .—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Shape: Obovate. Color: Close to 154C. Petals, fertile flowers only .—Arrangement: Five in a single whorl. Length: About 1 mm. Width: About 0.5 mm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 145C. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 145C. Sepals, fertile flowers .—Quantity per flower: Five in a single whorl. Length: About 0.5 mm. Width: About 0.5 mm. Shape: Subulate. Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 144C. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 144C. Sepals, sterile flowers .—Quantity per flower: Four in a single whorl. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width: About 1.4 cm. Shape: Orbicular. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Coarse, glabrous. Color:

When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 4D. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 4D.

Pedicels, fertile flowers .—Angle: About 20° to 45° from vertical. Strength: Strong, sturdy. Length: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Close to 176A. Pedicels, sterile flowers .—Angle: About 20° to 40° from vertical. Strength: Strong, sturdy. Length: About 2.5 cm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Texture: Smooth. Color: Close to 145C. Reproductive organs, fertile flowers .—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About ten. Filament length: About 4 mm. Filament color: Close to 155D. Anther shape: Round. Anther length: About 0.5 mm. Anther color: Close to 166D. Pollen amount: None observed. Pistils: Pistil quantity per flower: About three. Pistil length: About 3 mm. Stigma shape: Round. Stigma color: Close to 155D. Style length: About 2 mm. Style color: Close to 155D. Ovary color: Close to 138B. Reproductive organs, sterile flowers .—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About six. Filament length: About 1 mm. Filament color: Close to 145D. Anther shape: Round. Anther length: About 1 mm. Anther color: Close to 164C. Pollen amount: None observed. Pistils: Pistil quantity per flower: One. Pistil length: About 2 mm. Stigma shape: Round. Stigma color: Close to 145C. Style length: About 1 mm. Style color: Close to 145C. Seeds .—Quantity per inflorescence: Numerous. Size: Less than 0.1 mm by less than 0.1 mm. Color: Brown. Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Hydrangea have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Hydrangea plants. Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Hydrangea have been shown to be tolerant to temperatures ranging from about −16° C. to about 44° C.