U.S. patent number PP33,487 [Application Number 16/974,103] was granted by the patent office on 2021-09-14 for phlox plant named `baby doll white`.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Walters Gardens, Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Hans A Hansen. Invention is credited to Hans A Hansen.
United States Patent |
PP33,487 |
Hansen |
September 14, 2021 |
Phlox plant named `Baby Doll White`
Abstract
A new and unique cultivar of garden Phlox named Phlox `Baby Doll
White` multiple-branched, multi-stemmed, short, dense, upright,
slowly-spreading habit with clean, glossy, medium-green, lanceolate
leaves with exceptiond powdery mildew resistance. Foliage is thick
with stiff sterns. Flowers are white initially with pale-lavender
blush and small, pale-lavender throat and pale-purple corolla tube
produced on branched peduncles and nearly cover the top of the
plant beginning early June for about four weeks, about two weeks
prior to typical Phlox paniculata cultivars known to the inventor,
and repeating for about six weeks. `Baby Doll White` is especially
suitable as a potted plant, for the garden, for attracting
hummingbirds and butterflies, and for cut flower arrangements.
Inventors: |
Hansen; Hans A (Zeeland,
MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hansen; Hans A |
Zeeland |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Walters Gardens, Inc. (Zeeland,
MI)
|
Family
ID: |
77665574 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/974,103 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
PLT/320 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01H
6/70 (20180501) |
Current International
Class: |
A01H
5/02 (20180101); A01H 6/70 (20180101) |
Field of
Search: |
;PLT/320 |
Other References
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/242570727079832/; Sep.
13, 2021 to Sep. 19, 2021; 1 page. cited by examiner.
|
Primary Examiner: Bell; Kent L
Claims
I claim:
1. A new and distinct cultivar of hybrid Phlox plant named Phlox
`Baby Doll White`, as herein described and illustrated.
Description
Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid.
Variety denomination: `Baby Doll White`.
STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(b)(6)
The first disclosure, in the form of a sale, was made by Walters
Gardens, Inc. on Jun. 29, 2020 to Full Circle Gardens. Prior to
this sale, Walters Gardens, Inc. featured the new plant on their
website with a non-enabling description and photograph on Feb. 1,
2020. Walters Gardens, Inc. obtained the new plant and all
information relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants of Phlox
`Baby Doll White` have been sold, in this country or anywhere in
the world, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made, more
than one year prior the filing date of this application, and such
sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directly or
indirectly from the inventor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of
Phlox plant, known as Phlox `Baby Doll White` and will be referred
to hereafter by its cultivar name or the "new plant". The new plant
was the result of a controlled hybridization on Nov. 18, 2013
between `Amethyst Pearl` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,487 as the female
or seed parent and Phlox carolina `Lil' Cahaba` (not patented) as
the male or pollen parent at a wholesale perennial nursery in
Zeeland, Mich. The seed was collected in the winter of 2014. During
the trial process the new plant was identified by the breeder code
14-17-3. `Baby Doll White` has been asexually propagated by tip and
basal stem cuttings in the greenhouses at the same nursery in
Zeeland, Mich. since 2016. The unique characteristics of the new
plant have been found to be reproducible and stable in successive
generations of asexually propagated plants and the resultant plants
have been found to be identical to the original selection.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT
Phlox `Baby Doll White` is unique from its parents and all other
tall garden Phlox or other hybrid Phlox known to the inventor. The
new plant differs from the female parent in that the female parent
is taller and has different colored flowers. The most closely
comparison cultivars known to the inventor are Phlox `Opening Act
White` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,461, `Baby Doll Pink` U.S. Plant Pat.
No. 32,025, `Minnie Pearl` (not patented) and `Opening Act
Pink-a-Dot` U.S. Plant Pat. No. 31,732. `Opening Act White` is much
taller in habit and has more white flowers without the pale purple
eyes. `Baby Doll Pink` has flowers that are bright pink with a
white halo around a center pink eye zone. `Opening Act Pink-a-Dot`
has a taller habit with smaller, light lavender-pink flowers.
`Minnie Pearl` is slightly taller with a broader more rampant
growing habit.
`Amethyst Pearl U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,487 has light amethyst-pink
flowers and taller habit. `Lil' Cahaba` has flowers that are
magenta and the foliage is narrower on a plant with a taller habit.
`Baby Doll White` differs from all other Phlox cultivars known to
the inventor in the following repeatedly observed traits in
combination: 1. Plants of short, dense, rounded habit, slowly
spreading by short rhizomes, producing clean, glossy, medium-green,
lanceolate leaves; 2. Showing exceptional powdery mildew
resistance; 3. Multiple branched, stems produce rounded mounds of
flowers starting early in the season; 4. Flower on strong stiff
stems of about 33.0 cm tall producing white flower faces with
initial, faint, pale-lavender blush, small pale-lavender throat and
pale-purple corolla tube; 5. Flowers cover nearly the entire top of
the plant; 6. Flowering beginning in early-summer about two weeks
prior to typical Phlox paniculata cultivars and re-blooming into
fall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of
`Baby Doll White` and the overall appearance of the plant at
two-years-old grown in a full sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich.
The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color
reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and
direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.
FIG. 1 shows the new plant in peak flower in the landscape.
FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the floriferous flower head with flowers
and buds.
DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The following descriptions and color references are based on the
2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except
where common dictionary terms are used. Phlox `Baby Doll White` has
not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype
may vary slightly with different growing environments such as
temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity
levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following
observations and size descriptions are based on two-year-old plants
in the full sun trial garden of a wholesale perennial nursery in
Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.
Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid; Parentage: Female or seed
parent is `Amethyst Pearl`; male or pollen parent is `Lil' Cahaba`;
Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, densely upright, producing
about 40 rigid upright stems; flowering about 30.0 cm tall and
about 43.0 cm wide; flowering begins early summer in Michigan and
continuing for about 4 weeks with repeating for about 6 weeks in
late summer; Propagation: Stem cuttings; rooting in about 14 days;
Time to produce finished crop in 3.8 liter pots: About 8 to 10
weeks; moderate rate of growth; Root: Primary roots to about 1.0 mm
thick; secondary fibrous and freely branching; color creamy white
to tan depending on soil type; Leaves: Simple, opposite,
lanceolate; entire margin on mature and young leaves; narrowly
acute apex; cuneate base; Leaf size: To about 100.0 mm long by
about 27.0 mm wide, average about 70.0 mm long by about 23.0 mm
wide; Leaf surfaces: Glabrous adaxial and adaxial; lustrous adaxial
and matte abaxial; Leaf color expanding: Adaxial between RHS 144A
and RHS 144B, abaxial between RHS 146D and RHS 145A; Leaf color at
flowering: Adaxial nearest RHS NN137B, abaxial nearest RHS 146B;
Foliage fragrance: None detected; Veins: Pinnate; glabrous abaxial
and adaxial; midrib about 1.0 mm wide at base, slightly sunken
adaxial and raised abaxial; Vein color: Adaxial midrib nearest RHS
146D, abaxial midrib nearest RHS 145C proximally and distally
nearest RHS 146D; secondary adaxial and abaxial veins same color as
surrounding leaf; Petiole: Leaves sessile to 2.0 mm long and 3.0 mm
wide; glabrous; flattened; Petiole color where present: Adaxial
nearest RHS 146D, abaxial nearest RHS 145D; Stems: About 30 per
plant; cylindrical; stiff; wiry; strong; upright; glabrous; to
about 33.0 cm, average about 28.0 cm long and 4.0 mm diameter at
base; lightly branched with cylindrical branches to about 21.0 cm
long and 2.0 mm diameter; Stem color: Nearest RHS 146D with an
occasional light blush of nearest RHS N79A proximally; Nodes: About
seven per stem below flowers; average internode length about 4.3
cm; Node color: Nearest RHS 146D; Inflorescence: A loosely-branched
compound corymb of about 60 flowers on the main stem and about 100
flowers with branches; flowering portion about 11.0 cm long and 9.0
cm across; Flowers: Perfect; complete; actinomophic; salverform
with flat face and long fused tube; typically with five petals;
about 25.0 mm long total with tube portion about 23.0 mm long; face
about 25.0 mm across; attitude upright to slightly outward;
self-cleaning; Flower longevity: Individually about 5 days on plant
or as cut flower; Flower fragrance: None detected; Buds one to two
days prior to opening: Narrowly oblanceolate, to nearly clavate;
acute apex with petals twisted about each other; base fused; about
19.0 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter in tube and swollen to 4.0 mm
diameter toward apex bulb of convolute petals; Bud color: Bulb
portion nearest RHS N155B and lightly blushed with RHS 76D, tube
portion blend between RHS 76D and RHS N77D; Petals: Five; margin
entire; apex rounded; base fused into tube; adaxial and abaxial
limb glabrous, adaxial tube glabrous except pubescent in region
about 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm from base, abaxial tube surface glabrous;
limbs slightly imbricate about 20 percent over the next petal;
Petal size: Limb to about 11.0 mm wide and about 12.0 mm long,
corolla tube to about 23.0 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter at limb;
Petal color: (Young) adaxial limb nearest RHS NN155D and blushed
lightly with RHS 76D; abaxial limb nearest RHS NN155D and blushed
lightly with RHS 76D; adaxial corolla tube striated longitudinally
nearest a blend of RHS N77D and RHS 76D; abaxial corolla tube
nearest RHS N77D with basal 3.0 mm of abaxial and adaxial corolla
tube nearest RHS 145C; Petal color: (Mature) adaxial limb nearest
RHS NN155D, center eye lightly blushed with nearest RHS 77B
extending up to 1.0 mm from throat; abaxial limb nearest RHS NN155D
with very faint blushing of nearest RHS 76D; adaxial throat between
RHS 77A and RHS 77B lightening proximally to the basal 3.0 mm of
corolla tube nearest RHS 155A; abaxial corolla tube striated
longitudinally with nearest RHS 77A and RHS NN155C gradually
lightening to RHS 155A in basal 3.0 mm; Androecium: Five;
Filaments.--Five; adnate to adaxial corolla tube except free in
terminal 1.0 mm; varying lengths between 17.0 mm and 21.0 mm, less
than 0.5 mm in diameter; white, nearest RHS NN155D. Anther.--Five;
oblong elliptic; basifixed; longitudinal; about 2.5 mm long by 0.7
mm wide; color nearest RHS 13A. Pollen.--Abundant; color nearest
RHS 15A. Gynoecium: One pistil per flower; to about 23.0 mm long;
Style.--Cylindrical; about 20.0 mm long and about 0.2 mm diameter;
color nearest RHS 2D. Stigma.--Exserted; trifurcate in the distal
1.0 mm, less than 0.25 mm in diameter; persistent after flower
abscission; color nearest RHS 10A. Ovary.--Superior; conical; acute
apex, base truncate; about 2.0 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter; color
nearest RHS 146D and RHS 145B. Calyx: Tubular; to about 9.0 mm long
and 3.0 mm wide at apex; Sepals; Five; lanceolate; narrowly acute
apex, margin entire; fused in the basal 4.0 mm; adaxial and abaxial
surface slightly lustrous; individually about 9.0 mm long and 1.0
mm wide; Sepal color: Adaxial nearest RHS 146B with margins nearest
RHS 158D; abaxial variable, proximally nearest RHS 145B, distally
RHS N77C and RHS 146B with margins nearest RHS 158D; Peduncle:
Glabrous, stiff, strong, moderately lustrous, upright, cylindrical;
to about 31.0 cm long and 2.0 mm diameter at base of flower
branches and about 4.0 mm diameter near soil; branches to about
20.0 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter at base; Peduncle color: Nearest
RHS 145B; Pedicel: Cylindrical; micro-glandular; to about 3.0 mm
long and 1.0 mm diameter; Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 145B; Fruit
and seeds have not yet been observed. Hardiness and culture: The
new plant grows best with plenty of moisture and adequate drainage;
hardy to at least from USDA zone 4 through 8. Disease and pest
resistance: Phlox `Baby Doll White` demonstrated the excellent
powdery mildew resistance caused by Erysiphe cichoracearum under
conditions of intense pressure that would normally show symptoms.
Past resistance and susceptibility beyond that common for Hybrid
Phlox has not been observed.
* * * * *
References