plant named ‘Sunbre0904’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum plant named ‘Sunbre0904’, characterized by its mounding and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching growth habit; freely flowering habit; daisy-type inflorescences with white-colored ray florets; and good garden performance.

Description

Botanical designation: Osteospermum ecklonis.

Cultivar denomination: ‘SUNBRE0904’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum plant, botanically known as Osteospermum ecklonis, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sunbre0904’.

The new Osteospermum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Odense, Denmark. The objective of the program is to create and develop new Osteospermum plants with uniformly mounded plant habit, freely flowering habit and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Osteospermum plant originated from a cross-pollination by the Inventor in May, 2006 of a proprietary selection of Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number 17.377.01, not patented, as the female, or seed parent with a proprietary selection of Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number 96.012.01, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Osteospermum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Odense, Denmark in June, 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Osteospermum plant by terminal cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Odense, Denmark since November, 2007, has shown that the unique features of this new Osteospermum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Osteospermum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength 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 ‘Sunbre0904’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sunbre0904’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum:

• • 1. Mounding and outwardly spreading plant habit.
  • 2. Freely branching growth habit.
  • 3. Freely flowering habit.
  • 4. Daisy-type inflorescences with white-colored ray florets.
  • 5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Osteospermum differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Osteospermum are more outwardly spreading than and not as upright as plants of the female parent selection.
  • 2. Plants of the new Osteospermum and the female parent selection differ in the lower surface ray floret color as plants of the female parent selection have ray florets with soft blue-colored lower surfaces.

Plants of the new Osteospermum differ from plants of the male parent selection primarily in plant habit as plants of the new Osteospermum are more outwardly spreading than and not as upright as plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Osteospermum can be compared to plants of Osteospermum ecklonis ‘Sunny Cecil’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,273. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Odense, Denmark, plants of the new Osteospermum differed from plants of ‘Sunny Cecil’ in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Osteospermum were more outwardly spreading than and not as upright as plants of ‘Sunny Cecil’.
  • 2. Plants of the new Osteospermum and ‘Sunny Cecil’ differed in lower surface ray floret color as plants of ‘Sunny Cecil’ had ray florets with light blue-colored lower surfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Osteospermum plant. These photographs shows 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 Osteospermum plant.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Sunbre0904’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Sunbre0904’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 25-cm containers in Poeldijk, The Netherlands during the spring in a glass-covered greenhouse and in an outdoor nursery and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial Osteospermum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 8° C. to 25° C. and night temperatures ranged from 8° C. to 14° C. Plants were pinched one time and were 15 weeks old when the photographs and description were 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: Osteospermum ecklonis ‘Sunbre0904’.
• Parentage:
  • • Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number 17.377.01, not patented.
    • Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number 96.012.01, not patented.
• Propagation:
  • • Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.
    • Time to initiate roots, summer.—About twelve days at 18° C.
    • Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 14 days at 18° C. to 20° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted cutting, summer.—About 20 days at 18° C. to 20° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted cutting, winter.—About 28 days at 18° C.
    • Root description.—Medium in thickness, fibrous; light tan in color.
    • Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense.
• Plant description:
  • • Plant and growth habit.—Mounding and outwardly spreading plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit with about eight lateral branches developing per plant.
    • Plant height.—About 24.2 cm.
    • Plant diameter.—About 53 cm.
    • Lateral branch description.—Length: About 10.9 cm. Diameter: About 5.5 mm. Internode length: About 1.4 cm. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Strength: Strong. Color: Close to 144B.
    • Foliage description.—Arrangement/quantity: Alternate, simple; leaves sessile; about eight leaves per lateral branch. Length: About 6.2 cm. Width: About 2.4 cm. Shape: Oblanceolate to obovate. Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Narrowly cuneate. Margin: Entire with coarse indentations. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent; margins, pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A to 137B. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137B. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137A; venation, close to 144B to 144C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C; venation, close to 144A to 144B.
• Inflorescence description:
  • • Appearance and flowering habit.—Daisy-type inflorescences; inflorescences face upright and are positioned above and beyond the foliage; inflorescences terminal and axillary; disc and ray florets developing acropetally on a capitulum; freely flowering habit; about 31 inflorescences developing per lateral branch.
    • Fragrance.—None detected.
    • Flowering response.—Plants of the new Osteospermum begin flowering about ten to twelve weeks after pinching; plants flower continuously from spring to late summer in Northern Europe.
    • Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two weeks on the plant; inflorescences not persistent.
    • Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 2.3 cm. Diameter: About 1.2 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: Towards the base, close to 137B; towards the apex, close to 151B.
    • Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 7.5 cm. Depth (height): About 1.8 cm. Disc diameter: About 1.3 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 3.5 mm. Receptacle height: About 3 mm.
    • Ray florets.—Length: About 3.9 cm. Width: About 8 mm. Shape: Oblanceolate. Apex: Retuse. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; towards the base, pubescent. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 18 arranged in two whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to NN155B. When opening, lower surface: Close to 8B; towards the base, close to 8C to 8D; central band, close to N189B to N189C. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to NN155B to NN155C. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 8B; towards the base, close to 8C to 8D; central band, close to N189C.
    • Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular; apex, five-pointed. Length: About 9 mm. Diameter, apex: About 3.5 mm Diameter, base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 80. Color: Immature: Close to N77C; towards the apex, close to 103B. Mature: Towards the apex, close to 93A to 93B; mid-section, close to 77B; towards the base, close to 155D flushed with close to 77D.
    • Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 20 arranged in a single whorl. Length: About 1.1 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Narrowly acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Sparsely pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 147B; towards the margins, close to 147C to 147D. Color, lower surface: Close to 143A to 143B; towards the margins, close to 143D.
    • Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 8.6 cm. Length, fourth peduncle: About 8.6 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength: Strong. Aspect, terminal peduncle: Erect. Aspect, axillary peduncle: About 25° from vertical. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 143B.
    • Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anther shape: Lanceolate. Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: Close to 203B. Pollen amount: Abundant. Pollen color: Close to 17B. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Pistil length: About 5 mm. Stigma shape: Tapering. Stigma color: Close to N187A. Style length: About 3 mm. Style color: Close to 155A. Ovary color: Close to 145D.
    • Seeds/fruits.—Seed and fruit development have not been observed on plants of the new Osteospermum.
• Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Osteospermum have not been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Osteospermums.
• Garden performance: Plants of the new Osteospermum have been observed to have good garden performance and be hardy to USDA Zone 9 and to tolerate rain, wind and high temperatures of about 40° C.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Osteospermum plant named ‘Sunbre0904’ as illustrated and described.