Patent Grant
PP33774
Latin name of genus and species of plant claimed: Artemisia gmelinii.
Variety denomination: ‘Balfernarc’.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Artemisia plant botanically known as Artemisia gmelinii and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Balfernarc’.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Hem, the Netherlands during the summer 2016. The objective of the breeding program was the development of Artemisia cultivars having fern-like foliage that thrive in full sun for use as an accent plant in a container or a groundcover in the landscape.
The new Artemisia cultivar is the result of open-pollination. The female (seed) parent of the new cultivar is the proprietary Artemisia gmelinii breeding selection coded A13, not patented, characterized by its medium cream-colored inflorescences, light green-colored foliage, and moderately vigorous, semi-upright growth habit. The male (pollen) parent of the new cultivar is unknown. The new cultivar was selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated open-pollination during August 2017 in a controlled environment in Hem, the Netherlands.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since August 2017 in Hem, the Netherlands and West Chicago, Ill. has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.
The following characteristics of the new cultivar have been repeatedly observed and can be used to distinguish ‘Balfernarc’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Artemisia plant:
Plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of the female parent primarily in having darker green-colored foliage and a more compact mounded growth habit.
Of the many commercially available Artemisia cultivars, the most similar in comparison to the new cultivar is the Artemisia cultivar Artemisia Makana Silver, ‘TNARTMS’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 30,968. However, in comparison, plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of ‘TNARTMS’ in at least the following characteristics:
The accompanying photographs show, as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make the same in color illustrations of this type, typical foliage characteristics of the new cultivar. Colors in the photographs differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed description, which accurately describes the colors of ‘Balfernarc’. The plants were approximately 18 weeks old. The plants were grown in three-quart containers for approximately 8 weeks in an outdoor nursery in West Chicago, Ill. Plants were given two pinches prior to transplant and one pinch one week after transplant.
The new cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in the environment, such as temperature, light intensity, and day length, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The chart used in the identification of colors described herein is The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, 2015 edition, except where general color terms of ordinary significance are used. The color values were determined in July 2021 under natural light conditions in Naperville, Ill.
The following descriptions and measurements describe approximately 18 weeks old plants produced from cuttings from stock plants and grown under conditions comparable to those used in commercial practice. The plants were grown in three-quart containers for approximately 8 weeks in an outdoor nursery in West Chicago, Ill. Plants were given two pinches prior to transplant and one pinch one week after transplant. Prior to transplant plants were grown in liners in a poly-covered greenhouse in West Chicago, Ill. Greenhouse temperatures ranged from an average high of 79.5° F. (26.4° C.) to an average low of 68.5° F. (20.3° C.), and supplemental lighting was provided daily for five hours during short days. Measurements and numerical values represent averages of typical plants.
