New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Tamar Light Violet’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Tamar Light Violet’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant growth habit; freely branching and freely flowering habit; dark green-colored foliage; and large rounded light violet-colored flowers.

Description

Botanical designation: Impatiens hawkeri.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Tamar Light Violet’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Tamar Light Violet’.

The new Impatiens is a product of a planned the breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Lier, The Netherlands. The objective of breeding program is to develop new Impatiens cultivars with large rounded flowers and attractive foliage and flower coloration.

The new Impatiens originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2002 with the Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Harmony Lavender, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Tamar Lavender, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,180, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Tamar Light Violet was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in De Lier, The Netherlands.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in De Lier, The Netherlands since 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Tamar Light Violet’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Tamar Light Violet’ as a new and distinct Impatiens cultivar:

• • 1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant growth habit.
  • 2. Freely branching and freely flowering habit.
  • 3. Dark green-colored foliage.
  • 4. Large rounded light violet-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Harmony Lavender. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in De Lier, The Netherlands, plants of the new Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar Harmony Lavender in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Impatiens flowered earlier than plants of the cultivar Harmony Lavender.
  • 2. Plants of the new Impatiens had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Harmony Lavender.

Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of the male parent, the cultivar Tamar Lavender. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in De Lier, The Netherlands, plants of the new Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar Tamar Lavender in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Impatiens had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Tamar Lavender.
  • 2. Plants of the new Impatiens and the cultivar Tamar Lavender differed in flower color.

Plants of the new Impatiens can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Tamar Violet, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in De Lier, The Netherlands, plants of the new Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar Tamar Violet in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Impatiens were more vigorous than plants of the cultivar Tamar Violet.
  • 2. Plants of the new Impatiens had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Tamar Violet.
  • 3. Plants of the new Impatiens and the cultivar Tamar Violet differed in flower coloration as plants of the cultivar Tamar Violet had lighter colored flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, 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 Impatiens.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Tamar Light Violet’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of typical flowers of ‘Tamar Light Violet’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants of the cultivar Tamar Light Violet have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown in De Lier, The Netherlands, under commercial production practice in a glass-covered greenhouse during the summer. Rooted young plants were planted in 12-cm containers and the aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements were taken about ten weeks later. During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures averaged 20° C. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

• Botanical classification: Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Tamar Light Violet.
• Parentage:
  • • Female parent.—Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Harmony Lavender, not patented.
    • Male parent.—Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Tamar Lavender, not patented.
• Propagation:
  • • Type cutting.—Terminal tip cuttings.
    • Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 5 to 7 days at 19 to 20° C.
    • Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 6 to 8 days at 19 to 20° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 14 to 19 days at 19 to 20° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 14 to 21 days at 19 to 20° C.
    • Root description.—Fine; white to brown in color.
• Plant description:
  • • General appearance.—Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant growth habit; freely branching habit; bushy appearance; freely flowering. Moderately vigorous.
    • Crop time.—From a rooted cutting, about nine weeks are required to produce finished flowering plants in 12-cm containers.
    • Plant height.—About 23 cm.
    • Plant diameter or spread.—About 39 cm.
    • Lateral branches.—Quantity per plant: About nine. Length: About 18 cm. Diameter: About 1 cm. Internode length: About 5.5 cm. Strength: Moderate. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Luster: Slightly glossy. Color: 146C; above the nodes, 178A.
    • Foliage description.—Arrangement: Primarily in whorls with about five leaves per whorl; simple. Length: About 11.5 cm. Width: About 5.5 cm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Serrulate with ciliation. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Moderately glossy. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing foliage, upper surface: Between 144A and 137A. Developing foliage, lower surface: 184B. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 147A; venation, 195B. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 184A; towards the base, 147C; venation, 182B. Petiole: Length: About 3.8 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Texture, upper and lower surface: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface: 195B. Color, lower surface: 185B to 185C.
• Flower description:
  • • Flower type and flowering habit.—Single, rounded, light violet-colored flowers. Freely and continuously flowering; usually about 20 flowers per lateral branch. Flowers positioned just above the foliage; flowers typically face upright to outward, typically parallel to the leaf canopy. Petals not persistent; gynoecium persistent. Flowers not fragrant.
    • Flower longevity.—Flowers last about ten days on the plant.
    • Flowering season.—Year-round under greenhouse conditions. In the garden, plants flower from the spring throughout the summer.
    • Flower buds.—Length: About 1.3 cm. Diameter: About 9 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: Between 70B to 70C and 69C.
    • Flower diameter.—About 6.5 cm.
    • Flower depth (excluding spur).—About 1.8 cm.
    • Petals.—Quantity: Five per flower, imbricate. Length: Banner petals: About 2.5 cm. Lateral and base petals: About 3 cm. Width: Banner petal: About 3.9 cm. Lateral and base petals: About 3.4 cm. Shape: Banner petal: Reniform. Lateral and base petals: Broadly obcordate. Apex: Banner petal: Retuse. Lateral and base petals: Emarginate. Base, all petals: Attenuate. Margin, all petals: Entire. Texture, all petals, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Color: When opening, banner petal, upper surface: Between 76A and slightly lighter than 77D; towards the apical center, blush of 78A. When opening, lateral and base petals, upper surface: Between 76A and 77D; central stripes, 78B. When opening, banner petal, lower surface: Between 76A and 77D; towards the base, 78B. When opening, lateral and base petals, lower surface: Between 76A and 77D; central stripes, 78B. Fully opened, banner petal, upper surface: Between 76A and 77D; towards the apical center, blush of 78A. Fully opened, lateral and base petals, upper surface: Between 76A and 77D; central stripes, 78B. Fully opened, banner petal, lower surface: Between 76A and 77D; towards the base, 78B. Fully opened, lateral and base petals, lower surface: Between 76A and 77D; central stripes, 78B.
    • Spur.—Length: About 5.3 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 cm. Aspect: Curved. Color, immature and mature: 145C.
    • Peduncles.—Length: About 6 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Strength: Moderately strong, flexible. Angle: About 45° from vertical. Color: 145B to 145C.
    • Reproduction organs.—Androecium: Stamen number: Five fused at anthers, hooded; filaments free. Anther length: About 2 mm. Anther shape: Obovate. Anther color: 182D. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 158D. Gynoecium: Pistil quantity: One per flower. Pistil length: About 1 mm. Stigma color: 157D. Style: Not visible. Ovary: Five-celled. Ovary color: 144A.
    • Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit development has not been observed.
• Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Impatiens have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Impatiens.
• Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Impatiens have been observed to tolerate temperatures of about 10° C. to about 35° C.

Claims

1. A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Tamar Light Violet’, as illustrated and described.