Petunia plant named `Conblue`

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named `Conblue`, characterized by its outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit; freely branching habit; small rounded leaves; numerous small single flowers that are light purple in color with dark purple-colored venation; and good garden performance.

Description

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Petunia×hybrida cultivar Conblue.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Conblue.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Petunias with numerous small flowers with attractive flower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross made by the Inventor on Dec. 25, 1998 of the Petunia cultivar Fantasy Ivory, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with an unidentified selection of Petunia, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny by the Inventor on Sep. 25, 1999, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, on the basis of its small and numerous light purple-colored flowers with dark purple-colored venation.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings taken in Gensingen, Germany has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

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

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of `Conblue`. These characteristics in combination distinguish `Conblue` as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit.

3. Small rounded leaves.

4. Numerous small single flowers that are light purple in color with dark purple-colored venation.

5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Fantasy Ivory, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more outwardly spreading and not as upright as plants of the female parent.

2. Plants of the new Petunia are more vigorous than plants of the female parent.

3. Plants of the new Petunia have better garden performance than plants of the female parent.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the male parent, the unidentified Petunia selection, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more vigorous than plants of the male parent.

2. Plants of the new Petunia have larger flowers than plants of the male parent.

3. Plants of the new Petunia flower for a longer period of time than plants of the male parent.

Plants of the new Petunia differ primarily from plants of the cultivar Conbloss, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/996,378 filed concurrently in flower color.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Sunsolos, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gensingen, Germany, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar Sunsolos in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia had a denser and less open plant habit than plants of the cultivar Sunsolos.

2. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Sunsolos.

3. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller flowers than plants of the cultivar Sunsolos.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

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

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of three typical flowering plants of `Conblue` grown in a 20-cm container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of typical flower buds, typical opening flowers, upper and lower surfaces of typical fully opened flowers, upper surface of a typical developing leaf, and lower and upper surfaces of typical fully expanded leaves of `Conblue`.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Bonsall, Calif., in an outdoor nursery during the late spring and early summer under full sun conditions with day temperatures ranging from 18 to about 35°C C. and night temperatures ranging from 7 to 18°C C. After planting rooted cuttings, plants were grown for about nine weeks in 20-cm containers with three plants per container. Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Conblue.

Parentage:

Female parent.--Petunia×hybrida cultivar Fantasy Ivory, not patented.

Male parent.--Unidentified Petunia×hybrida selection, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.--Terminal vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.--About 15 days at 20 to 22°C C.

Time to develop roots, summer and winter.--About 20 days at 18 to 22°C C.

Root description.--Fine; white, close to 155D, in color.

Rooting habit.--Freely branching.

Plant description:

Form.--Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; initially upright, then outwardly spreading and trailing; uniform. Freely branching habit with about 16 lateral branches per plant.

Usage.--Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio containers and landscape applications.

Plant height.--About 17 cm.

Plant diameter.--Individual plant: About 32 cm. All three plants: About 65 cm.

Vigor.--Vigorous.

Lateral branches.--Length: About 30 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Internode length: About 2.5 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144B.

Foliage description.--Arrangement: Alternate before flowering; opposite after flowers develop; simple. Quantity per lateral branch: About 28. Length: About 3.4 cm. Width: About 2.3 cm. Shape: Elliptic, rounded. Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Upper and lower surfaces, smooth and glandular. Venation pattern: Pinnate, arcuate. Color: Developing leaves, upper and lower surfaces: 144C. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: 147B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: 147C. Venation, upper surface: 147C. Venation, lower surface: 144B. Petiole length: About 6 mm. Petiole diameter: About 2 mm. Petiole color: 144C.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.--Single salverform flowers; flowers face mostly upward or outward; axillary. Very freely flowering habit, about five to seven flowers and flower buds per lateral branch at one time.

Natural flowering season.--Long day responsive; long flowering period, spring until frost in the autumn; flowering continuous during this period. Plants start flowering about four weeks after planting rooted cuttings. Flowers persistent.

Flower longevity on the plant.--About four to five days.

Fragrance.--None detected.

Flower size.--Diameter: About 5 cm. Tube length: About 2.8 cm. Throat diameter, distal end: About 1.2 cm. Tube diameter, proximal end: About 4 mm.

Flower buds (showing color).--Length: About 3.4 cm. Diameter: At apex, about 9 mm; at base, about 4 mm. Shape: Elongated oblong with ruffled apices. Color: 150D.

Corolla.--Quantity/arrangement: Five fused petals in a single whorl, funnelform. Petal length from throat: About 2 cm. Petal width: About 2.4 cm. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate or fan-shaped. Petal apex: Broadly acute. Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture: Smooth, velvety. Color: Petal, upper surface, when opening: Center and towards margins, 85D; towards throat, 84B. Petal, lower surface, when opening: 85D. Petal, upper surface, fully opened: 85D; color fading to 155D with subsequent development. Petal, lower surface, fully opened: Somewhat more white than 85D. Flower throat (inside): 84B. Flower tube (outside): 155A. Venation, upper petal surface: 84A. Venation, lower petal surface: 147C. Venation, throat: 86B to 86C. Venation, tube: 147C to 147D.

Sepals.--Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals fused at base, star-shaped. Lenth: About 1 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Strap-like; elongate. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, both surfaces: Pubescent, glandular. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 146B.

Peduncles.--Length: About 2.4 cm. Width: About 1 mm. Angle: About 45°C from the stem. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144C.

Reproductive organs.--Stamens: Quantity per flower: About five. Anther shape: Ovoid. Anther size: About 2 mm by 2 mm. Anther color: 202B. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: 202B. Pistils: Quantity per flower: One. Pistil length: About 2.1 cm. Style length: About 1.4 cm. Style color: 144B. Stigma shape: Bi-lobed. Stigma color: 144A. Ovary color: 144C.

Seed/fruit.--Seed and/or fruit production has not been observed to date.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been noted to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Petunia.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to have good garden performance. Plants of the new Petunia have been noted to tolerate temperatures from 0 to 35°C C. and have excellent tolerance to rain and wind.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named `Conblue`, as illustrated and described.