Patent Grant
PP27374
Genus and species: Vitex agnus-castus.
Varietal denomination: The new Vitex agnus-castus claimed is of the cultivar denominated ‘V07-SC-OP-4’.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Vitex agnus-castus hereinafter referred to by the varietal domination ‘V07-SC-OP-4’.
Pedigree and history: Under the direction of David Knauft, seeds from Vitex agnus-castus ‘Shoal Creek’ (unpatented) were irradiated with 4kr gamma radiation in 2006. These seeds were planted in Watkinsville, Ga. in 2007; a selection was made and labeled ‘SC4-01-07’ (unpatented). This selection was allowed to open-pollinate, and the resulting seeds were sown in 2008. Twelve seedlings germinated, and were transferred to Carol Robacker's breeding program in Griffin, Ga. in 2009. These 12 plants were transplanted into a field plot in Griffin, Ga. in June 2009. One of these plants was selected for its dark pink flowers and was labeled ‘V07-SC-OP-4’. This plant has been evaluated for four winters and five summers. Asexually propagated progeny, grown from stem cuttings, planted in 2009 in Griffin, Ga. have also been observed. Height and width data has been collected annually. Cold damage was assessed each spring.
Mean panicle lengths 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.
‘V07-SC-OP-4’ plants have been grown for evaluation in an irrigated field plot in Griffin, Ga. These plants have been fertilized annually in the spring. Height after five summer's growth is 335 cm. Stems are R.H.S. (Royal Horticultural Society, 2001) grey-brown N199A or greyed-green 197A when older, round, and covered in tiny curved hairs with scattered longer curved hairs. The trunk color is a mix of greyed-white 156A and grey-brown 199D. Cracking and exfoliation of the trunk or large stems is noticeable at about 5 cm diameter.
Leaves emerge with yellow-green 146A upper surface, changing to a deeper green 137A during the summer, and becoming yellow-green 147A in the fall. Lower leaf surface is greyed-green 191B throughout the season. Leaves are palmately-compound, typically 13 cm×14 cm, with mostly seven leaflets. Margins are entire, with acute apices and bases. The upper leaf surface has many scattered hairs, slightly glandular, while the lower surface is more densely pubescent and very glandular. Leaves are slightly waxy above, dull underneath. Venation is simple. Leaf arrangement on stems is opposite.
Flower buds are red-purple 65C. Flowers occur in an elongated compound panicle, 14 cm long by 3 cm in diameter. At emergence and through full bloom and fading, flowers are red-purple 63C with a darker red-purple N66C splotch on the anterior lip. The peduncle is grayed-green 193D. The number of individual flowers per inflorescence ranges from 242 on the secondary peduncles to 588 on the main stem of the panicle. Sepals are grayed-green 193A with purple-violet N81C streaking.
‘V07-SC-OP-4’ plants have been evaluated for four winters and five summers at the Griffin, Ga. site. Height and width data has been collected annually. Cold damage was assessed each spring. Mean panicle lengths 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.
‘V07-SC-OP-4’ was planted into a field plot in Griffin, Ga. in June 2009, while ‘Salinas Pink’ (unpatented) was planted into the same plot in June 2011. At time of field planting, plants were rooted liners grown in one-gallon containers.
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 ‘V07-SC-OP-4’ as a new and distinct cultivar. Asexual propagation by cuttings has proven that these characteristics are firmly fixed in succeeding asexually propagated generations:
‘V07-SC-OP-4’ is an improved pink Vitex as compared to the industry standard ‘Salinas Pink’, the only commonly available pink Vitex. ‘Salinas Pink’ is the closest variety known by the inventors to the new cultivator ‘V07-SC-OP-4’.
Comparison: Height and width were measured annually. ‘Salinas Pink’ is similar in size to ‘V07-SC-OP-4’ (Table 1).
‘V07-SC-OP-4’ begins blooming about one week later than ‘Salinas Pink’ each year (Table 2). Both have moderate repeat blooming during summer and fall (Table 3). Panicles on ‘Salinas Pink’ are much longer than ‘V07-SC-OP-4’, but both have similar diameter. (Table 4,
In comparison to its parent ‘Shoal Creek’, ‘V07-SC-OP-4’ has flowers that are a different color and panicles that are of a different size. At peak bloom, ‘V07-SC-OP-4’ has red-purple 63C flowers with red-purple N66C on their anterior lips, while ‘Shoal Creek’ has violet N88B flowers with violet-blue N90D on their anterior lips. The panicle length of ‘V07-SC-OP-4’ is on average 13.9 cm and the diameter is 3.2 cm. The ‘Shoal Creek’ panicles are larger, with a mean panicle length of 24.1 cm and a diameter of 3.8 cm. ‘V07-SC-OP-4’ has one long and two to four short subpanicles per panicle, while ‘Shoal Creek’ has one long and three to six short subpanicles per panicle.
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.
‘V07-SC-OP-4’ has been and is propagated vegetatively by stem cuttings.
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 ‘V07-SC-OP-4’. Data was collected in Griffin, Ga. from three year old plants grown from stem cuttings and growing outdoors. ‘V07-SC-OP-4’ 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.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160135347 P1 | May 2016 | US |
