Disclosed herein is a petunia plant having decumbent growth habit. The petunia plant has abundant branching, particularly with respect to secondary branching, and great profusion of blooms with the entire of plant remaining of bloom for a considerable period of time. The flowers are single and very small with the petals having a deep purplish-pink color with a yellowish-white eye. The bottom color of corolla throat is brilliant yellow-green. The outside color of corolla throat is light greenish-yellow. The plant exhibits high resistance to rain, heat, drought and disease such as powdery mildew.
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Botanical/commercial classification: Petunia hybrida/Petunia Plant cv. ‘Sunbelkupapi’.
The Petunia is a very popular plant that is used for flower bedding and potting in the summer season. There are only a few small-flowered Petunia varieties, such as, ‘Sunbelkuopi’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,715), ‘Sunbelkubu’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,279), and ‘Sunbelkuho’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,278). These Petunias are of the decumbent type and have a very low plant height, abundant branching, and a high resistance to heat, rain and disease. Accordingly, this invention is aimed at obtaining a new Petunia variety having deep purplish-pink petal color with a yellowish-white eye, and very small flowers combined with the above features.
The new variety of Petunia plant according to this invention originated from the crossing with the Petunia variety named ‘CBPS09’ as the female parent, and the Petunia variety named ‘CBPS04’ as the male parent.
First of all, controlled crossings were conducted between the Petunia variety ‘P49’, as the female parent, and the Petunia variety ‘CBP04’, as male the parent, and the Petunia variety ‘CBP04’, as the female parent, and the Petunia variety ‘P38’, as the male parent, during March 1997 at Yokaichi-shi Shiga, Japan. In this connection, the petunia varieties ‘P49’, ‘CBP04’, ‘P38’, ‘CBPS09’ and ‘CBPS04’ are lines bred by us and are not filed in Japan or any other country. From each crossing 40 seedlings were obtained and the Petunia varieties ‘CBPS09’ and ‘CBPS04’ were selected from each crossing, in view of their decumbent type growth habit, abundant branching and flower color, at the end of December 1997. Then the controlled crossing between the Petunia variety ‘CBPS09’, as the female parent, and the Petunia variety ‘CBPS04’, as the male parent, was conducted in 1998. From this crossing, 400 seedlings were obtained and 10 seedlings were selected, in October 1998, at Yokaichi-shi, Shiga, Japan. The 10 selected plants were propagated by cuttings and then grown in pots in both a greenhouse and in a field at Yokaichi-shi, Shiga, Japan from April to October 2000. The botanical characteristics of the selected plants were examined using the similar varieties ‘Sunbelkupi’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,287) and ‘Sunbelochipi’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,355) for comparison.
As a result, one plant was selected and it was concluded that the selected new Petunia variety is distinguishable from any other variety whose existence is known to us. The new variety was asexually reproduced using shoot cuttings and shown to be uniform and stable in its characteristics. This new variety of Petunia plant was named ‘Sunbelkupapi’.
The new variety of the present invention can be readily distinguished from the ‘Sunbelkupi’ through an observation of the flower coloration. The new ‘Sunbelkupapi’ variety of the present invention forms deep purplish-pink flowers with a yellowish-white eye, the ‘Sunbelkupi’ variety forms vivid reddish-purple flowers.
In the following description, the color information is in accordance with The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England.
The main botanical characteristics of the comparison variety ‘Sunbelkupi’ are as follows:
The petal color of the parent variety ‘CBPS09’ is R.H.S. N74A without eye, whereas that of ‘Sunbelkupapi’ is R.H.S. 73A with white grouped colored (R.H.S. 155C) eye, and the length of the leaf of ‘CBS09’ is shorter than that of ‘Sunbelkupapi’.
The petal color of the parent variety ‘CBPS04’ is R.H.S. N74A with white group colored (R.H.S. 155C) eye and the length of the leaf of ‘CBS04’ is shorter than that of ‘Sunbelkupapi’.
This new variety of Petunia plant ‘Sunbelkupapi’ has a decumbent growth habit with abundant branching, and forms single, very small deep purplish-pink flowers with a yellowish-white eye in a great profusion of blooms with the entire plant remaining in bloom for a considerable period of time. The plant has high tolerance to cold and heat, high resistance to diseases and rain.
The depicted plants had been reproduced by cuttings and were photographed during June while growing outdoors in pots at an age of approximately six months at Yokaichi-shi, Shiga, Japan.
The botanical characteristics of the new and distinct variety of Petunia plant named ‘Sunbelkupapi’ are as follows were observed during June at Yokaichi-shi, Shiga, Japan:
This new variety of Petunia plant is most suitable for flower bedding and potting, particularly in hanging pots or in planters, and is excellent for use as a ground cover. Pinching of old blossoms will enhance the formation of new blossoms.
| Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
| Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
| PP10278, | Nov 20 1996 | Suntory Limited | Petunia plant named `Sunbelkuho` |
| PP10279, | Nov 20 1996 | Suntory Limited | Petunia plant named `Sunbelkubu` |
| PP10287, | Nov 20 1996 | Suntory Limited | Petunia plant named `Sunbelkupi` |
| PP10355, | Nov 20 1996 | Suntory Limited | Petunia plant named `Sunbelochipi` |
| PP13715, | Jun 12 2001 | Suntory Flowers Limited | Petunia plant named `Sunbelkuopi` |
| Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
| Nov 12 2003 | MURAKAMI, YASUYUKI | Suntory Flowers Limited | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 014757 | /0642 | |
| Nov 25 2003 | Suntory Flowers Limited | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / |
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