A new and distinct cultivar of osteospermum plant named ‘Sunny Bianca’, characterized by its upright and mounded plant habit; freely branching growth habit; freely flowering habit; daisy-type inflorescences with oblanceolate-shaped ray florets that are initially whitish in color becoming light purple in color with development; and good garden performance.
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Botanical designation: Osteospermum ecklonis.
Cultivar denomination: ‘Sunny Bianca’.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum plant, botanically known as Osteospermum ecklonis, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sunny Bianca’.
The new Osteospermum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Odense, Denmark. The objective of the program is to create and develop new Osteospermum cultivars with compact and uniformly mounded plant habit, freely flowering habit and attractive inflorescence coloration.
The new Osteospermum originated from a cross-pollination by the Inventor in May, 2003 of a proprietary selection of Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number 50.003.00, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Osteospermum ecklonis cultivar Sunny Caroline, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Osteospermum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Odense, Denmark in July, 2004.
Asexual reproduction of the new Osteospermum by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Odense, Denmark since January, 2005, has shown that the unique features of this new Osteospermum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Sunny Bianca has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength 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 ‘Sunny Bianca’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sunny Bianca’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum:
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Odense, Denmark, plants of the new Osteospermum differ from plants of the female parent selection primarily in ray floret color as plants of the female parent selection have dark purple-colored ray florets.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Odense, Denmark, plants of the new Osteospermum differ from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Sunny Caroline, in the following characteristics:
Plants of the new Osteospermum can be compared to plants of the Osteospermum cultivar Sunny Elizabeth, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,564. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Odense, Denmark, plants of the new Osteospermum differed from plants of the cultivar Sunny Elizabeth primarily in ray floret color as plants of the cultivar Sunny Elizabeth had pink-colored ray florets with purple-colored stripes. In addition, the lower surface of the ray florets of the new Osteospermum were yellow in color whereas the lower surface of the ray florets of the cultivar Sunny Elizabeth were pink in color.
The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Osteospermum. This photographs shows 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 Osteospermum.
The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Sunny Bianca’.
The photograph at the top of the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical developing inflorescence (left) and a typical fully developed inflorescence (right) of ‘Sunny Bianca’.
The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet is a close-up view of the upper surface of a typical leaf of ‘Sunny Bianca’.
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. The aforementioned photograph, following observations and measurements describe plants grown in De Lier, The Netherlands during the spring in a glass-covered greenhouse and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial Osteospermum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 20° C., night temperatures averaged 10° C. and light levels ranged from 200 to 800 watts per square meter. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants. Plants were pinched one time and were about 15 weeks old when the photographs and description were taken.
| Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
| Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
| PP16564, | Jul 07 2003 | BEEKENKAMP PLANTS B V | Osteospermum plant named ‘Sunny Elizabeth’ |
| Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
| Apr 19 2007 | LARSEN, BJARNE NYHOLM | Sunny Gronnegyden APS | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019517 | /0443 | |
| Jun 20 2007 | Sunny grönnegyden APS | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
| May 01 2018 | Sunny Gronnegyden APS | BEEKENKAMP PLANTS B V | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 047850 | /0119 |
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