Genglo

Bergenia

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Eroica'

Summary: The plants and leaves of 'Genglo' are smaller than those of 'Eroica'. The petioles of 'Genglo' are shorter and the base of the leaf blade is cuneate, whereas it is rounded for 'Eroica'. The leaf blades of 'Genglo' have a crenate to dentate margin and weak glossiness, whereas those of 'Eroica' have an entire to slightly crenate margin and medium glossiness. The leaf blades of 'Genglo' are variegated whereas those of 'Eroica' are not. In winter, the leaf blades of 'Genglo' turn to red pink along the margins on the upper and lower sides, whereas those of 'Eroica' are dark brown on the upper side and brown purple on the lower side.

Description:

'Genglo' is a bergenia variety with a bushy-rounded growth habit. The shape of the leave blade is widely elliptic with a rounded apex, a cuneate base and a crenate to dentate margin. The attachment of the petiole to the stem is decurrent. The leaf blades are variegated and weakly glossy. For the upper side of the leaf blade, the main colour is dark green with paler patches of brown green. The secondary colour is light yellow, distributed irregularly along the margin only. The veins are light green. The main colour of the lower side of the leaf blade is light brown green with light yellow along the margin. In winter, the colour of the leaf blade turns to red pink along the margins on both the upper and lower sides.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Genglo' was discovered in the spring of 1998 by InnovaPlant GmbH & Co. KG in Gensingen, Germany. It appeared as a naturally occurring mutation of a Bergenia purpurascens plant and was selected for its leaf variegation. The variety was first propagated by divisions.

Tests & Trials: The tests and trials for 'Genglo' were conducted in a polyhouse during the summer of 2005 at BioFlora Inc. in St. Thomas, Ontario. The trials included 15 plants of each of the candidate and reference varieties grown from rooted cuttings transplanted into one-gallon containers on May 27, 2005. Observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants of each variety on September 19, 2005. All colour measurements were made using the 2001 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'Genglo' with reference variety 'Eroica'

Plant height (cm)

Plant width (cm)

Leaf length (cm)

Leaf width (cm)

Petiole length (cm)

Colour of upper side of leaf blade (RHS)

Colour of lower side of leaf blade (RHS)

Colour of leaf blade in winter (RHS)

Click on image for larger view

Bergenia: 'Genglo' (left) with reference variety 'Eroica' (right)