U.S. patent number PP28,630 [Application Number 14/999,207] was granted by the patent office on 2017-11-14 for catharanthus plant named `suncatfe 43`.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Suntory Flowers Limited. The grantee listed for this patent is Masahiro Yamada. Invention is credited to Masahiro Yamada.
United States Patent |
PP28,630 |
Yamada |
November 14, 2017 |
Catharanthus plant named `Suncatfe 43`
Abstract
A new and distinct cultivar of Catharanthus plant named
`Suncatfe 43`, characterized by its compact, upright to outwardly
spreading and uniformly mounding plant habit; vigorous growth
habit; freely basal branching habit; freely flowering habit; long
flowering period; relatively small star-shaped white-colored
flowers; and good garden performance.
Inventors: |
Yamada; Masahiro (Shiga,
JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Yamada; Masahiro |
Shiga |
N/A |
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
Suntory Flowers Limited (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Appl.
No.: |
14/999,207 |
Filed: |
April 11, 2016 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20170295691 P1 |
Oct 12, 2017 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
PLT/263.1 |
Current International
Class: |
A01H
5/02 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;PLT/263.1 |
Primary Examiner: McCormick Ewoldt; Susan
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Whealy; C. A.
Claims
It is claimed:
1. A new and distinct Catharanthus plant named `Suncatfe 43` as
illustrated and described.
Description
Botanical designation: Catharanthus roseus.
Cultivar denomination: `SUNCATFE 43`.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and distinct Catharanthus
plant, botanically known as Catharanthus roseus and hereinafter
referred to by the cultivar name `Suncatfe 43`.
The new Catharanthus plant is a product of a planned breeding
program conducted by the Inventor in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan. The
objective of the breeding program is to develop new compact and
freely branching Catharanthus plants with numerous small
flowers.
The new Catharanthus plant originated from a cross-pollination
conducted by the Inventor in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan in September,
2011 of a proprietary selection of Catharanthus roseus identified
as code designation FS22-9, not patented, as the female, or seed,
parent with a proprietary selection of Catharanthus roseus
identified as code designation CL, not patented, as the male, or
pollen, parent. The new Catharanthus plant was discovered and
selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within
the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled
greenhouse environment in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan in September,
2013.
Asexual reproduction of the new Catharanthus plant by vegetative
tip cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Higashiomi,
Shiga, Japan since December, 2013, has shown that the unique
features of this new Catharanthus plant are stable and reproduced
true to type in successive generations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Plants of the new Catharanthus have not been observed under all
possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural
practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in
environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity
without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are
determined to be the unique characteristics of `Suncatfe 43`. These
characteristics in combination distinguish `Suncatfe 43` as a new
and distinct Catharanthus plant: 1. Compact, upright to outwardly
spreading and uniformly mounding plant habit. 2. Vigorous growth
habit. 3. Freely basal branching habit. 4. Freely flowering habit.
5. Long flowering period. 6. Relatively small star-shaped
white-colored flowers. 7. Good garden performance.
Plants of the new Catharanthus can be compared to plants of the
female parent selection. Plants of the new Catharanthus differ
primarily from plants of the female parent selection in flower
color as plants of the female parent selection have red-colored
flowers.
Plants of the new Catharanthus can be compared to plants of the
male parent selection. Plants of the new Catharanthus differ
primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following
characteristics: 1. Plants of the new Catharanthus have smaller
flowers than plants of the male parent selection. 2. Plants of the
new Catharanthus and the male parent selection differ in flower
color as plants of the male parent selection have lavender-colored
flowers.
Plants of the new Catharanthus can be compared to plants of the
Catharanthus roseus `Suncatha 2460`, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Pat.
No. 27,455. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new
Catharanthus differ from plants of `Suncatha 2460` in the following
characteristics: 1. Plants of the new Catharanthus are not as broad
as plants of `Suncatha 2460`. 2. Plants of the new Catharanthus
have larger leaves than plants of `Suncatha 2460`. 3. Plants of the
new Catharanthus have broader flower petals than plants of
`Suncatha 2460`. 4. Plants of the new Catharanthus and `Suncatha
2460` differ in flower color as plants of `Suncatha 2460` have
flowers that are light red purple in color with a distinct eye
zone. 5. Plants of the new Catharanthus have longer sepals than
plants of `Suncatha 2460`.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS
The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall
appearance of the new Catharanthus plant showing the colors as true
as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of
this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the
color values cited in the detailed botanical description which
accurately describe the colors of the new Catharanthus plant.
The photograph at the top of the sheet is a side perspective view
of a typical flowering plant of `Suncatfe 43` grown in a
container.
The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of a
typical flowering plant of `Suncatfe 43`.
DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The aforementioned photographs and following observations,
measurements and values describe plants grown during the late
summer/early autumn in 15-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in
Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan and under cultural practices typical of
commercial production. During the production of the plants, day
temperatures averaged 25.degree. C. and night temperatures averaged
15.degree. C. Plants were six months old when the photographs were
taken and seven months old when the description was taken. In the
following description, color references are made to The Royal
Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where
general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.
Botanical classification: Catharanthus roseus `Suncatfe 43`.
Parentage: Female, or seed, parent.--Proprietary selection of
Catharanthus roseus identified as code designation FS22-9, not
patented. Male, or pollen, parent.--Proprietary selection of
Catharanthus roseus identified as code designation CL, not
patented. Propagation: Type.--By vegetative tip cuttings. Time to
initiate roots, summer.--About two weeks at temperatures about
30.degree. C. Time to initiate roots, winter.--About three weeks at
temperatures about 25.degree. C. Time to produce a rooted young
plant, summer.--About five weeks at temperatures about 30.degree.
C. Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.--About six weeks
at temperatures about 25.degree. C. Root description.--Fibrous;
typically white in color, actual color of the roots is dependent on
substrate composition, water quality, fertilizer type and
formulation, substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.
Rooting habit.--Freely branching; medium density. Plant
description: Plant and growth habit.--Compact, upright to outwardly
spreading and uniformly mounding plant habit; freely basal
branching habit, about ten basal branches each with about four
secondary branches developing per plant; vigorous growth habit.
Plant height.--About 26 cm. Plant diameter.--About 50 cm. Lateral
branch description: Length.--About 23 cm. Diameter.--About 1.9 mm.
Internode length.--About 1.7 cm. Strength.--Strong.
Aspect.--Upright to somewhat outwardly. Texture.--Sparsely
pubescent; rough. Color.--Close to 145B. Leaf description:
Arrangement.--Opposite, simple. Length.--About 4.15 cm.
Width.--About 1.75 cm. Shape.--Elliptic. Apex.--Mucronate.
Base.--Cuneate. Margin.--Entire. Texture, upper and lower
surfaces.--Pubescent; rough. Venation pattern.--Pinnate;
reticulate. Color.--Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to
144A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 144B. Fully
expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 138A; venation, close to
145C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 138B;
venation, close to 145D. Petioles.--Length: About 5.8 mm. Diameter:
About 1.2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely
pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 145D. Flower
description: Flower arrangement and habit.--Single star-shaped
salverform flowers arising from upper leaf axils; freely flowering
habit with numerous small flowers developing per plant; flowers
face mostly upright. Fragrance.--None detected. Flowering
habit.--Plants begin flowering about two to three weeks after
planting; long flowering period, in the garden, plants flower
continuously from the early summer to late autumn in Japan. Flower
longevity.--Individual flowers last about two to three days on the
plant; flowers not persistent. Flower buds.--Length: About 2.6 cm.
Diameter: About 3 mm. Shape: Ovoid to cylindrical. Color: Close to
N155B. Flower diameter.--About 2.7 cm. Flower length
(depth).--About 2.6 cm. Tube length.--About 2.4 cm. Tube diameter,
proximally.--About 1.1 mm. Tube diameter, distally.--About 1.9 mm.
Corolla.--Arrangement: Five petals in a single whorl fused at the
base into a tube. Petal length from throat: About 1.4 cm. Petal
width: About 8.2 mm. Petal shape: Elliptic to broadly oblanceolate.
Petal apex: Cuspidate. Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture, upper
and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Throat texture: Smooth,
glabrous. Tube texture: Pubescent. Color: Petal, when opening and
fully opened, upper surface: Close to NN155C; faint stripe towards
the throat, close to 73D. Petal, when opening and fully opened,
lower surface: Close to NN155C. Throat: Proximally, close to 145D;
distally, close to 150C. Tube: Proximally, close to 36A; distally,
close to 145B to 145C. Calyx.--Arrangement: Star-shaped tubular
calyx with five sepals fused towards the base. Sepal length: About
3.1 mm. Sepal width: About 0.9 mm. Sepal shape: Lanceolate. Sepal
apex: Acuminate. Sepal margin: Entire. Sepal texture, upper and
lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent. Color, upper and lower
surfaces: Close to 144B. Peduncles.--Length: About 2 mm. Diameter:
About 1 mm. Angle: Upright to outwardly. Strength: Strong. Texture:
Sparsely pubescent. Color: Close to 145B. Reproductive
organs.--Stamens: Quantity per flower: Five. Anther size: About 1.6
mm by 0.8 mm. Anther shape: Narrowly elliptic. Anther color: Close
to 158B. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 158D.
Pistils: Quantity per flower: One. Pistil length: About 1.9 cm.
Style color: Close to 145D. Stigma shape: Globose. Stigma color:
Close to 145B. Ovary color: Close to 144C. Seeds and fruits: Seed
and fruit development have not been observed on plants of the new
Catharanthus. Garden performance: Plants of the new Catharanthus
have been observed to have good garden performance and to tolerate
wind, rain and temperatures ranging from about 5.degree. C. to
about 35.degree. C. to 40.degree. C. Pathogen & pest
resistance: Plants of the new Catharanthus have not been observed
to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Catharanthus
plants.
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