Calibrachoa plant named `Cal Ivory`

Abstract

`Cal Ivory` is a new variety of calibrachoa plant. This new variety has dark blue colored flowers.

Description

Genus and species: Calibrachoa spp.

Variety denomination: `Cal Ivory`.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

`Cal Ivory` originated from a hybridization made in the year 2000 in Gilroy, Calif. The female parent was a Calibrachoa breeding line with lavender rose colored flowers known as 164-2, a rose with yellow throat proprietary line unnamed and unpatented. The male parent was Calibrachoa variety 103-1, a white proprietary line unnamed and unpatented.

`Cal Ivory` is a product of a planned breeding program intended to create new calibrachoa plants with ivory white colored flowers, compact habit, good basal branching and moderately vigorous growth.

The new cultivar was created in 2000 in Gilroy, Calif. and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissue culture in Gilroy, Calif., Andijk, The Netherlands, and Guatemala over a 2 and half-year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif., Litchfield, Mich. and Andijk, The Netherlands. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations; and this novelty is firmly fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE GENUS CALIBRACHOA LLAVE & LEX

The genus Petunia was originally established in 1803 by A. L. Jussieu, who described both P. parviflora and P. nyctaginifloa as type species. Using a non-horticultural system that selected the first mentioned species as the type species (lectotype), N. L. Britton and H. A. Brown declared P. parviflora as the type species for Petunia in 1913.

During the 1980's and 1990, H. J. Wijsman published a series of articles regarding the ancestry of P. hybrida, the Garden Petunia, and the inter-relationship of several species classified as Petunia. These studies discovered that P. hybrida and its ancestrial species, P. nyctaginiflora (=P. axillaris) and P. violacea (=P. integrifolia), possessed 14 pairs of chromosomes while several other species, including P. parviflora, possessed 18 pairs of chromosomes. Since P. parviflora was the lectotype species for the Petunia genus, Wijsman and J. H. de Jong proposed transferring the 14 chromosome species to the genus Stimoryne. Horticulturists opposed reclassifying the Garden Petunia and in 1986, Wijsman proposed the alternative of making P. nyctaginiflora the lectotype species for Petunia and transferring the 18 chromosome species to another genus. The I. N. G. Committee adopted this proposal. By 1990 Wijsman had transferred several species, including P. parviflora (=C. parviflora) to Calibrachoa, originally established by Llave and Lexarza in 1825. Calibrachoa parviflora (=C. mexicana Llave & Lexara) is now the type species for the genus Calibrachoa.

Classification of the current Petunia and Calibrachoa species is still in progress. New species are also being identified. Consequently a proper description has not been written for the Calibrachoa genus. Calibrachoa can, however, be distinguished from Petunia based on the higher chromosome number, chromosome morphology, plant branching habit and type of flower bud aestivation. Whereas Petunia species bear a flower peduncle and one new stem from a node, Calibrachoa bear a flower peduncle and three stems. Petunia species have a cochlear corolla bud, a single outermost petal covers the other four, radially folded and terminally contorted petals. Calibrachoa flower buds are flat with all five petals linearly folded and the two lower petals forming a cover around the three other petals and fused together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PLANT

The following traits and characteristics describe the new variety. The plant history was taken on 8 month old plants that were cut back numerous times prior to data readings being taken.

Classification:

Family.--Solanaceae.

Species.--Calibrachoa spp.

Growth:

Form.--Semi upright and decumbent.

Habit.--Good vigorous habit, well branched, full plant.

Height.--5-10 cm.

Width.--40-50 cm.

Time to produce a finished flowering plant.--9-11 weeks.

Outdoors plant performance.--Full sun, free flowering through the summer, some heat tolerance, used as a hanging plant, in mixed container plantings, mass plantiing in a bed.

Time to initiate and develop roots.--18-24 days.

Rood description.--White, fibrous.

Stems:

Stem color.--RHS 144B (yellow-green).

Stem length.--40-50 cm.

Stem diameter.--1.5-2.0 cm.

Stem internodes length.--1.4-3.0 cm.

Stem texture.--Many glandular hairs of various sizes.

Stem anthocyanin.--None.

Pedicel color.--RHS 144B (yellow-green).

Pedicel length.--1.2-1.6 cm.

Pedicel diameter.--0.1 cm.

Pedicel texture.--Many glandular hairs of various sizes.

Leaves:

Arrangement.--Alternate, upper leaves sub-opposite.

Leaf color.--Upper side, a little darker green than RHS 137A (green). Underside, RHS 147B (yellow-green).

Leaf length.--2.5-2.8 cm.

Leaf width.--1.0-1.2 cm.

Leaf blade shape.--Elliptic/Oblong.

Leaf margin.--Entire.

Leaf apex aspect.--Acute/Obtuse.

Leaf bas aspect.--Acuminate.

Leaf texture.--Many glandular hairs of various sizes.

Venation.--Palmate.

Venation color.--RHS 144B (yellow-green).

Petiole color.--RHS 144B (yellow-green).

Petiole length.--0.3-0.4 cm.

Petiole diameter.--0.2 cm.

Petiole texture.--Many glandular hairs of various sizes.

Bud:

Color at tight bud.--RHS 4B/C (yellow).

Bud shape.--Oblong.

Bud diameter.--0.4 cm.

Bud length.--1.5-1.8 cm.

Flowers:

Blooming habit.--Continuous throughout the growing season. Good floriferousness.

Inflorescence type.--Flowers solitary in upper leaf axis.

Floret type.--Funnel form, 5 lobed petals, fused at base.

Young flower color.--RHS 4D (yellow) base color with a hint of RHS 5D (yellow) along mid-veins; faint RHS 144C (yellow-green) mid-veins.

Young flower floret diameter.--2.2-2.6 cm.

Mature flower color.--Front side, RHS 155D (white) but a little whiter base color, with slight RHS 4D (yellow) along mid-veins; RHS 9A (yellow) and RHS 13A (yellow) mingled blushing out of the throat; very light RHS 144C (yellow-green) mid-veins.

Mature flower color.--Underside, RHS 155D (white) base color; RHS 144C (yellow-green) mid-veins.

Corolla tube color inside.--RHS 9A (yellow) and RHS 13A (yellow) mingled base color, very light RHS 144C (yellow-green) mid-veins.

Corolla tube length.--1.1-1.3 cm.

Corolla outside texture.--Many glandular hairs of various sizes.

Flower (limb) diameter.--2.9-3.3 cm.

Petal apex shape.--Retuse.

Petal base shape.--Fused.

Petal margin.--Entire.

Waviness of petals.--None.

Petal lobation.--Weak to moderate.

Petal texture.--Papillose.

Sepals.--5, fused at the base.

Sepal color.--RHS 138A (green).

Sepal length.--1.1-1.4 cm.

Sepal width.--0.25-0.3 cm.

Sepal shape.--Oblong.

Sepal apex.--Acute.

Sepal texture.--Many glandular hairs of various sizes.

Lastingness of individual blooms.--4-8 days.

Fragrance.--None.

Reproductive organs:

Stamens.--5, 2 taller, 2 shorter, 1 very short.

Filament color.--RHS 155B (white).

Pollen color.--RHS 9A (yellow).

Pistil.--One.

Stigma color.--RHS 145A (yellow-green).

Style color.--RHS 145C (yellow-green).

Fruit seed set.--Not observed.

DISEASE AND INSECT RESISTANCE

Not Observed.

COMPARISON WITH MOST SIMILAR VARIETY

`Cal Ivory` differs from the female parent 164-2 in the following ways: `Cal Ivory` has ivory white colored flowers and 164-2 has rose-colored flowers. `Cal Ivory` has more basal branching and has more prostrate habit than 164-2.

`Cal Ivory` differs from the male parent 103-1 in the following ways: `Cal Ivory` has ivory white colored flowers and 103-1 has bright white colored flowers. `Cal Ivory` flowers earlier and is more center flowering than 103-1.

Claims

1. A new and distinct calibrachoa plant as shown and described herein.