New guinea impatiens plant named ‘Dongiwilromwhi24’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant named ‘Dongiwilromwhi24’ characterized by its upright to outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit and moderately rapid growth rate; freely branching habit; dense and full appearance; dark green-colored leaves; freely and early flowering habit; double type flowers that are white in color; and good garden performance.

Description

Botanical designation: Impatiens hawkeri.

Cultivar denomination: ‘DONGIWILROMWHI24’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR & APPLICANT/ASSIGNEE

The Inventor and Applicant/Assignee assert that no sales, offers for sale or public distribution of the instant plant occurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application. Any information about the claimed plant would have been obtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from the Inventor and/or Applicant/Assignee. Inventor and Applicant/Assignee claim a prior art exception under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosures and/or sales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior to the effective filing date.

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 ‘Dongiwilromwhi24’.

The new Impatiens plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Koka, Ethiopia and Encinitas, California. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely-branching, early and freely flowering New Guinea Impatiens plants with large attractive flowers and good garden performance.

The new Impatiens plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in October 2019 in Encinitas, California of a proprietary selection of Impatiens hawkeri identified as code number NN17-595577-001, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Impatiens hawkeri identified as code number NN16-610610-007, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Impatiens 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 Encinitas, California in June 2020.

Asexual reproduction of the new Impatiens plant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Encinitas, California since July 2020 has shown that the unique features of this new Impatiens plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Impatiens 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, daylight 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 ‘Dongiwilromwhi24’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Dongiwilromwhi24’ as a new and distinct Impatiens plant:

• • 1. Upright to outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit.
  • 2. Moderately vigorous growth habit and moderately rapid growth rate.
  • 3. Freely branching habit; dense and full appearance.
  • 4. Dark green-colored leaves.
  • 5. Freely and early flowering habit.
  • 6. Double type flowers that are white in color.
  • 7. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Impatiens differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Impatiens are more compact, more mounding and denser than plants of the female parent selection.
  • 2. Leaves of plants of the new Impatiens are darker green in color than leaves of plants of the female parent selection.
  • 3. Flowers of plants of the new Impatiens are white in color whereas flowers of plants of the female parent selection are light pink in color.

Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Impatiens differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Impatiens are more compact, more mounding and denser than plants of the male parent selection.
  • 2. Plants of the new Impatiens have larger flower than plants of the male parent selection.
  • 3. Flowers of plants of the new Impatiens are white in color whereas flowers of plants of the male parent selection are light coral in color.

Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of Impatiens hawkeri ‘Dongiwiroblupi 20’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 33,669. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Impatiens differ primarily from plants of ‘Dongiwiroblupi 20’ in the following characteristics:

• • 1. Plants of the new Impatiens have smaller leaves than plants of ‘Dongiwiroblupi 20’.
  • 2. Plants of the new Impatiens flower earlier and more freely than plants of ‘Dongiwiroblupi 20’.
  • 3. Plants of the new Impatiens have larger flowers than plants of ‘Dongiwiroblupi 20’.
  • 4. Flowers of plants of the new Impatiens are white in color whereas flowers of plants of ‘Dongiwiroblupi 20’ are blush pink in color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Impatiens plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Impatiens plant.

The photograph is a top perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Dongiwilromwhi24’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during the summer in 17-cm containers in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse in Puerto Lumbreras, Murcia, Spain and under cultural practices typical of commercial New Guinea Impatiens production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 30° C., night temperatures averaged 22° C. and light levels averaged 650/m²/hour. Plants were three months old when the photograph was taken and five months old when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Second Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

• Botanical classification: Impatiens hawkeri ‘Dongiwilromwhi24’.
• Parentage:
  • • Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Impatiens hawkeri identified as code number NN17-595577-001, not patented.
    • Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Impatiens hawkeri identified as code number NN16-610610-007, not patented.
• Propagation:
  • • Type.—By terminal vegetative cuttings.
    • Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at temperatures about 20° C.
    • Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 17 days at temperatures about 20° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 20 days at temperatures about 20° C.
    • Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 30 days at temperatures about 20° C.
    • Root description.—Medium in thickness, fibrous; typically white in color, actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate composition, water quality, fertilizers, substrate temperature and age of roots.
    • Rooting habit.—Moderately freely branching; medium density.
• Plant description:
  • • Plant and growth habit.—Upright to outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit; broad inverted triangle in overall shape; freely branching habit with lateral branches potentially developing at every node; dense and full appearance; moderately vigorous growth habit and moderate growth rate.
    • Plant height.—About 12 cm.
    • Plant diameter.—About 27 cm.
• Lateral branch description:
  • • Length.—About 6 cm.
    • Diameter.—About 6 mm.
    • Internode length.—About 3 cm.
    • Strength.—Moderately strong; flexible.
    • Aspect.—Initially upright to outwardly spreading.
    • Texture and luster.—Smooth, glabrous; semi-glossy.
    • Color, developing.—Close to 144A.
    • Color, developed.—Close to 144A.
• Leaf description:
  • • Arrangement.—Typically alternate or in whorls; simple.
    • Length.—About 6.5 cm.
    • Width.—About 2.9 cm.
    • Shape.—Elliptic.
    • Apex.—Apiculate.
    • Base.—Obtuse.
    • Margin.—Serrate with ciliation.
    • Texture and luster, upper surface.—Smooth, glabrous; leathery; matte.
    • Texture and luster, lower surface.—Smooth, glabrous; leathery; semi-glossy.
    • Venation pattern.—Pinnate; arcuate.
    • Color.—Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A; venation, close to 147B. Developing and fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 138A; venation, close to 145B.
    • Petiole length.—About 2 cm.
    • Petiole diameter.—About 3 mm.
    • Petiole texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous; semi-glossy.
    • Petiole color, upper and lower surfaces.—Close to 145B.
• Flower description:
  • • Flower type and flowering habit.—Double-type, rounded axillary flowers; freely flowering habit, typically about two to three flower buds and open flowers per lateral branch and about 60 flowers developing per plant during the flowering season; flowers positioned above and beyond the foliar plane, flowers typically face upright to outwardly.
    • Flower longevity.—Flowers typically last about four to seven days on the plant under greenhouse conditions; petals self-cleaning, gynoecium persistent.
    • Fragrance.—None detected.
    • Natural flowering season.—Year-round under greenhouse conditions; in the garden, flowering from spring until fall in Spain; early flowering habit, plants typically begin flowering about eight weeks after planting.
    • Flower buds.—Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 1 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; slightly glossy. Color: Close to 145C.
    • Flower diameter.—About 6 cm by 6.5 cm.
    • Petals.—Quantity and arrangement: Ten per flower in two whorls. Length: About 5 cm. Width: About 4 cm. Shape: Obcordate. Apex: Obtuse, rounded. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire; not undulate. Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; slightly glossy; iridescent. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface: Close to 155D; venation, close to 155D; color does not change with subsequent development. When opening and fully opened, lower surface: Close to 155D; venation, close to 155D; color does not change with subsequent development.
    • Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: Three in a single whorl; one modified into an elongated spur. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width: About 6 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Entire. Sepal texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; slightly glossy. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 145C. Spur length: About 4 cm. Spur diameter: About 1 mm. Spur shape: Acicular. Spur texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; semi-glossy. Spur color: Close to 145C.
    • Peduncles.—Length: About 6 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Angle: About 45° from stem axis. Strength: Moderately strong; flexible. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; semi-glossy. Color: Close to 145C.
    • Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity: Five fused at anthers; filaments free. Anther size: About 1 mm by 5 mm. Anther shape: Oblong. Anther color: Close to 155B. Pollen amount: Abundant. Pollen color: Close to 160D. Pistils: Quantity per flower: One. Pistil length: About 5 mm. Stigma diameter: About 1 mm. Stigma shape: Lobed. Stigma color: Close to 145D. Style length: About 4 mm. Style color: Close to 145A. Ovary color: Close to 144A.
    • Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit production has not been observed on plants of the new Impatiens.
• Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Impatiens have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Impatiens plants.
• Garden performance: Plants of the new Impatiens have been observed to have good garden performance and tolerate temperatures ranging from about 5° C. to about 45° C.

Claims

1. A new and distinct Impatiens plant named ‘Dongiwilromwhi24’ as illustrated and described herein.