Patent Grant
PP20502
Genus and species: Calibrachoa sp.
Variety denomination: ‘SAKCAL095’.
The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa, botanically known as Calibrachoa sp., and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘SAKCAL095.’ It is characterized by having a white flower color, large flower diameter and semi-creeping plant and growth habit. ‘SAKCAL095’ originated from a hybridization made in 2004 in Kakegawa, Japan. The female parent was a proprietary hybrid Calibrachoa breeding line named ‘03-136a’ and had a rose flower color with veins and a creeping plant and growth habit. The male parent was a proprietary hybrid Calibrachoa breeding line named ‘3B-70A-1’ characterized by its cream-yellow flower color and semi-creeping plant and growth habit.
In May 2004, ‘03-136a’ and ‘3B-70A-1’ were crossed and 140 seeds were obtained. In July 2004, the F1. seed was sown in the greenhouse, cultivated and plant lines were produced with flower colors of both rose and white with both mounding and creeping plant growth habit.
In October 2004, plant line ‘K5-106’ was selected that had large, white flowers and a semi-creeping plant growth habit.
In February 2005, line ‘K5-106’ was vegetatively propagated by cuttings, cultivated and evaluated.
In April 2005, the breeder confirmed that line ‘K5-106’ was fixed and stable. The breeder propagated and cultivated line ‘K5-106’ again in July 2005 and February 2006 to reconfirm the lines' stability. The line was subsequently named ‘SAKCAL095’ and its unique characteristics were found to reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
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 ancestral 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 & Lexarza) 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, and 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.
The following are the most outstanding and distinguishing characteristics of this new cultivar when grown under normal horticultural practices in Kakegawa, Japan.
This new Calibrachoa plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographs which show the plant's form, foliage and flowers. The colors shown are as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures.
The following detailed description sets forth the distinctive characteristics of ‘SAKCAL095’. The data which define these characteristics were collected from asexual reproductions carried out in Salinas, Calif. The detailed description was taken from plants grown under greenhouse conditions for approximately 2 months from stick date. Color references are to the R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London (R.H.S.), 4th Edition.
SAKCAL095′ is distinguished from its parents mainly by flower color and plant growth habit as shown in Table 1 below.
Calibrachoa ‘SAKCAL095’ is a distinct variety of Calibrachoa due to its white flower color, large flower diameter and semi-creeping growth habit. ‘SAKCAL095’ is most similar to the variety ‘USCALI6’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,955) however, there are differences in the flower petal color, flower size and plant growth habit as described in the table below (color references are to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 4th edition):
