Baldavisun

Dahlia

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Balnovburs' (Dahlietta Sunburst)

Summary: The ray floret of 'Baldavisun' is purple on the upper and lower sides while that of 'Balnovburs' is red on the upper side and brown red on the lower side. The collar segments of 'Badavisun' are white with a central yellow green streak while those of 'Balnovburs' are yellow green with red streaks.

Description:

PLANT: upright to rounded bushy growth habit
STEM: medium green, no anthocyanin colouration

LEAF: simple type, 2.2:1 length/width ratio, medium to dark green on upper side, wings on petiole present, few and shallow incisions of margin, weakly rugose texture on upper side, raised veins on upper side

FLOWER HEAD: absent or very weak anthocyanin colouration of the peduncle, positioned at the same level to moderately above foliage, attitude relative to peduncle ranges from moderately acute to upright, collerette type, one coloured, purple colour group, 8 ray florets per flower head, collar segments relatively shorter than ray florets
RAY FLORET: 1.5:1 length/width ratio, distal quarter is weakly reflexed, cross-section at mid-point is weakly concave in U-shape, lateral margins at middle are slightly revolute, acute to dentate tip, even colour distribution, purple on upper side, purple with whitish streaks on lower side, ray florets and collar segments are different colours
COLLAR SEGMENT: white with yellow green streak in centre
DISC: medium diameter in relation to flower head, yellow before anther dehiscence, yellow to orange at anther dehiscence

Origin & Breeding History: 'Baldavisun' was discovered in June 2003 as a naturally occurring sport of 'Dahlietta Mandy' at Lavendelweg 10, Rijsenhuot, The Netherlands. It was selected in June 2004 for its rooting ability and flower colour. Since its discovery, asexual propagation has been through the use of vegetative cuttings.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Baldavisun' were conducted in a polyhouse during the summer of 2007 at BioFlora Inc. in St. Thomas, Ontario. The trial included 15 plants per variety. All plants were grown from rooted cuttings and transplanted into 15 cm pots on May 10, 2007. Observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants of each variety on July 27 and August 8, 2007. All colour determinations were made using the 2001 Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'Baldavisun' with reference variety 'Balnovburs'

Colour of ray floret (RHS)

Colour of collar (RHS)

Click on image for larger view

Dahlia: 'Baldavisun' (left) with reference variety 'Balnovburs' (right)