Schizachyrium Carousel Compact Growth Habit and Winter Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cultivars of Schizachyrium scoparium, or little bluestem, tend to have a taller, more upright habit that lodges in fall and winter, lacking the compact, rounded growth habit and winter foliage retention of the new cultivar 'Carousel'.
Innovation Solution
The cultivar 'Carousel' exhibits a compact and rounded growth habit with upright culms that do not lodge, shorter mature height, unique foliage coloration, and retained winter foliage, distinguished by its stability through asexual reproduction methods like culm division.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If existing cultivars of Schizachyrium scoparium are grown, then they achieve taller height and more upright habit, but they lodge in fall and winter and lack compact rounded growth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and propagating a cultivar with fundamentally different growth parameters - compact rounded habit, shorter height (30 inches vs 3-4 feet), and upright culms that maintain their position through winter. These parameter changes resolve the contradiction by achieving both desired shape and winter reliability simultaneously.
2Length of moving object
If existing cultivars are grown, then they reach taller height, but they exhibit upright arching habit that lodges in late fall and winter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the height parameter to a shorter stature (30 inches compared to 3-4 feet) and fundamentally alters the stability parameter by selecting for culms that remain upright and stable through winter. This resolves the contradiction by demonstrating that shorter height combined with enhanced culm stability provides both compact form and winter reliability.
3Shape
If compact rounded growth habit is achieved, then winter foliage retention is improved, but plant height is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent accepts and utilizes the parameter change in height as a beneficial trait rather than a compromise. The selected cultivar achieves compact rounded habit with 30-inch height, which is substantially shorter than traditional cultivars. This parameter change resolves the apparent contradiction by demonstrating that reduced height combined with compact rounded form creates a desirable landscape plant with excellent winter foliage retention.
Data Source
AI summary
A new cultivar of Schizachyrium scoparium, ‘Carousel’, that is characterized by its compact and rounded form with upright culms that does not lodge in fall and winter or with exposure to rain or snow, its short stature with a height of about 30 cm, its foliage that emerges nearly horizontal and becomes upright, its coloration that is green to blue-green with streaks of pink in summer, a blend of copper, beige, orange-red, and mahogany in fall, and beige in winter.