Patent Grant
PP27329
Genus and species: Vitex agnus-castus.
Varietal denomination: The new Vitex agnus-castus claimed is of the cultivar denominated ‘V0509A-7’.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Vitex agnus-castus hereinafter referred to as ‘V0509A-7’.
Pedigree and history: ‘V0509A-7’ originated from a cross of Vitex agnus-castus ‘Abbeville Blue’ (unpatented, female parent) and Vitex agnus-castus ‘Silver Spires’ (unpatented, male parent), caged together with honeybees as pollinators, in the summer of 2005, under the direction of David Knauft. Seeds were collected from ‘Abbeville Blue’, and may have resulted from self-pollination or crosses with ‘Silver Spires’. These seeds were sown, and the seedlings were grown in the spring and summer of 2006. Sixteen plants were selected based on desirable horticultural qualities, and were propagated via stem cuttings in August 2006. In April 2007, the resulting liners were transplanted into containers or the field at a location in Watkinsville, Ga. Based on container and field performance, the plant identified by the cultivar name ‘V0509A-7’ was selected. Stem cuttings were made from this selected plant, and distributed to Carol Robacker, who took over this breeding program in 2009. Asexually propagated ‘V0509A-7’ plants, propagated in Griffin, Ga. by stem cuttings in 2009, were planted in a replicated field plot (three reps, randomized block design) in Griffin, Ga. (cold hardiness zone 8a) in fall, 2009.
Plants have been evaluated for four years at the Griffin, Ga. site. Height and width data has 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 replicates were also planted in Blairsville, Ga., in spring 2011, to assess performance in this colder environment (cold hardiness zone 6b). In March of 2011, rooted liners were shipped to a location in 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 expected to be distributed for landscape use in the U.S. and perhaps in other countries.
‘V0509A-7’ 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. Height and width were measured annually.
The following characteristics have been consistently observed in the original plant of this new variety and in asexually propagated progeny grown from stem cuttings and, to the best knowledge of the inventors, their combination forms the unique characteristics of ‘V0509A-7’ as a new and distinct cultivar. Asexual propagation by cuttings has proven that these characteristics are firmly fixed in succeeding asexually propagated generations.
Comparison: ‘V0509A-7’ is an improved white Vitex, as compared to the industry standard, ‘Silver Spires’, the only commonly available white Vitex. ‘Silver Spires’ is a smaller plant than ‘V0509A-7’ (Table 1). ‘V0509A-7’ plants began blooming in the spring one week earlier than ‘Silver Spires’ two out of three years evaluated (Table 2). Both have minimal to moderate repeat blooming during summer and fall, though variation was observed in different years (Table 3). Panicles on ‘V0509A-7’ are longer and have a greater diameter than those on ‘Silver Spires’ (Table 4,
Selection ‘V0509A-7’ and ‘Silver Spires’ had no cold damage in any of the four years evaluated in Griffin, Ga. In Blairsville, Ga., a spring freeze in April 2012 caused extensive damage to all of the Vitex in our test plot. Both ‘Silver Spires’ and ‘V0509A-7’ lost all of the newly emerged foliage. Both recovered, though ‘Silver Spires’ had several dead branches, and flowering was delayed until August. Selection ‘V0509A-7’ recovered more quickly, had very few dead branches, and flowered in July.
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 ‘V0509A-7’. Data was collected in Griffin, Ga. from three year old plants grown from cuttings and growing outdoors. ‘V0509A-7’ has not been tested under all possible conditions hence, phenotypic differences may be observed with variations in environmental conditions without any variance in genotype.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160135348 P1 | May 2016 | US |
