Patent Application
20160135349
Vitex agnus-castus.
The new Vitex agnus-castus claimed is of the cultivar denominated ‘V0502-33’.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Vitex agnus-castus hereinafter referred to as ‘V0502-33’.
Pedigree and history: ‘V0502-33’ originated from a cross of Vitex agnus-castus ‘Shoal Creek’ (unpatented) and Vitex rotundifolia (unpatented) which were caged together with honeybees as pollinators in the summer of 2005 under the direction of David Knauft. Seeds were collected from the female parent ‘Shoal Creek’, and may have resulted from self-pollination or crosses with Vitex rotundifolia. These seeds were sown, and the seedlings were grown in a cultivated area in the spring and summer of 2006. Nineteen plants were selected based on desirable horticultural qualities, and were propagated in Watkinsville, Ga. via cuttings in August 2006. In April 2007, the resulting propagated plants in the form of liners were transplanted into containers or the field at a location in Watkinsville, Ga. Based on container and field performance, a plant identified as ‘V0502-33’ was selected. This ‘V0502-33’ selection is most likely the result of a self-pollination of ‘Shoal Creek’; it is fertile and has no apparent characteristics of V. rotundifolia. Cuttings were made from this ‘V0502-33’ plant, and distributed to Carol Robacker, who took over this breeding program in 2009. Plants from these cuttings were planted in a replicated field plot (three reps, randomized block design) in Griffin, Ga. (USDA zone 8a) in the fall of 2009.
‘V0502-33’ plants have been evaluated for four years at this site. Height and width data have been collected annually. Cold damage was assessed each spring. Mean panicle length and number of panicles per compound panicle were counted each summer. First bloom and re-bloom dates were noted each year. Data was collected on leaf yellowing, leaf drop, thinning, and leaf spot in July, August and September of each year. In addition, two asexually propagated (by cuttings) replicates were also planted in Blairsville, Ga., in spring 2011, to assess performance in this colder environment (USDA zone 7a). In March of 2011, rooted liners of this new plant were shipped to Bonsall, Calif. for evaluation.
Vitex agnus-castus is a deciduous shrub or small tree used in landscapes. This drought tolerant plant may be grown in cold hardiness zones 6 through 9. During cold winters in zone 6, it may die back to the ground, but will likely re-grow from the roots and produce a flowering shrub during the following summer, as flower buds are formed on new growth. Late spring freezes in zone 7 may also cause cold damage and dieback, but the plants recover and bloom during the summer. The new plant is intended to be distributed for landscape use in the U.S. and perhaps in other countries.
‘V0502-33’ has been grown in an irrigated field plot in Griffin, Ga. and in a non-irrigated plot in Blairsville, Ga. Plants have been fertilized annually in the spring.
The following characteristics have been consistently observed in the original plant of this new variety and in asexually propagated progeny grown from cuttings and, to the best knowledge of the inventors, their combination forms the unique characteristics of ‘V0502-33’ as a new and distinct cultivar. Asexual propagation by cuttings has proven that these characteristics are firmly fixed in succeeding asexually propagated generations.
Comparison: ‘V0502-33’ is a unique blue-flowered Vitex, as compared to the industry standards ‘Shoal Creek’ and ‘Abbeville Blue’ (unpatented). All of the compared plants were propagated from shoot cuttings, rooted and grown in one-gallon containers, before being planted into the field. ‘V0502-33’ was planted into a field plot in Griffin, Ga. in June 2009 (three reps) and in Blairsville, Ga. in June 2011 (two reps). ‘Shoal Creek’ and ‘Abbeville Blue’ were planted into the Griffin, Ga. field plot in June 2010 (one plant each), and ‘Abbeville Blue’ was planted in Blairsville, Ga. in June 2011. Data in the tables are from plants grown in the Griffin, Ga. field plot. Data given are averages of measurements made on three plants of ‘V0502-33’ and one plant each of ‘Shoal Creek’ and ‘Abbeville Blue’.
Height and width were measured annually. Both ‘Shoal Creek’ and ‘Abbeville Blue’ are somewhat smaller than ‘V0502-33’ (Table 1). In two out of three years, selection ‘V0502-33’ began blooming one week later than ‘Shoal Creek’ and ‘Abbeville Blue’ (Table 2). Repeat blooming later in the season was similar in 2011 and 2012 for all three genotypes, but in 2013 ‘V0502-33’ had greater repeat blooming than the standard cultivars (Table 3). Flowering is very heavy on ‘V0502-33’ (
Very minor cold damage was observed on ‘V0502-33’ from late spring freezes in Griffin, Ga. (zone 8a) in 2010 and 2011, but no damage occurred in 2012 or 2013. In Blairsville, Ga. (zone 7a), all of the Vitex in our field plot lost all of the newly emerged foliage in April 2012. By May, both ‘V0502-33’ and ‘Abbeville Blue’ had mostly recovered, though both had some dead branches. By mid-summer, no evidence of the freeze damage was seen, and both bloomed in July. No cold damage occurred in 2013.
The accompanying colored photographic illustrations show the overall appearance and distinct characteristics of the new cultivar of Vitex agnus-castus. The colors in the photographs are as close as possible with the photographic and printing technology utilized.
The following is a detailed description of the Vitex agnus-castus cultivar named ‘V0502-33’. Data was collected in Griffin, Ga. from three year old plants grown from cuttings and growing outdoors. ‘V0502-33’ has not been tested under all possible conditions hence, phenotypic differences may be observed with variations in environmental conditions without any variance in genotype.
Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter signify that the name of that color, as used in common speech, is aptly descriptive. Color names beginning with a capital letter designate values based upon the R.H.S. Colour Chart, 5th edition published by The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.), London, England. This description is from observations of typical three year old plants growing in Griffin, Ga.
