White Angel

Lavatera

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Barnsley'

Summary: 'White Angel' produces a bigger plant than 'Barnsley'. The anthocyanin colouration in the stem is absent to very weak in 'White Angel' while it is medium to strong in 'Barnsley'. 'White Angel' has a ovate to orbicular shaped leaf with palmate lobing that is wider than the ovate shaped leaf with less lobing of 'Barnsley'. In 'White Angel' the shape of the leaf apex is acute and the leaf base is truncate, while in 'Barnsley' the shape of the leaf apex is acute to obtuse, and the base is obtuse in shape. The leaf of 'White Angel' is a dark green while in 'Barnsley' it is a medium green. The inflorescence of 'White Angel' is longer than 'Barnsley'. The flower petals of 'White Angel' are very open while they are touching in 'Barnsley'. The flower buds of 'White Angel' are a light pink before they open while in 'Barnsley' they are a white colour. The flower colour of 'White Angel' is a translucent white with a faint pink secondary colour along the base of the petals, while 'Barnsley' has a white colour with a prominent darker pink secondary colour along the base when it first fully opens. The flower colour of 'Barnsley' fades to pink with age while 'White Angel' does not.

Description:

'White Angel' is a vegetatively propagated perennial Lavatera hybrid with an upright bushy growth habit that has medium to dense degree of branching. The stem has a dark green colour with a smooth shape, medium thickness, sparse to medium pubescence, and no anthocyanin colouration, or glaucosity. The leaf type is simple, dark green in colour, and arranged in an opposite fashion. The leaf blade is ovate to orbicular in shape with an acute shaped apex, a truncate shaped base, sparse in pubescence on the upper and lower sides, and has no glaucosity, or variegation. The margin of the leaf blade is crenate to dentate. The leaf has a petiole which is absent to very weak in anthocyanin colouration.

'White Angel' has a raceme inflorescence type that starts flowering mid season almost continuously for a moderate amount of time. The flowers are erect in attitude and positioned both terminally and axillary on the inflorescence. The petals of the flower are very few in number with a very open arrangement. The shape of the petal is obovate with an emarginate shaped apex, that is absent or very sparse in pubescence on the upper side. The colour of the flower petals is white with a faint pink secondary colour along the base.

Origin & Breeding History: 'White Angel' was selected from a seedling population of a controlled cross between the female parent a Lavatera cachemiriana and a Lavatera thuringiaca as the male parent in 1995 at Hummelo, The Netherlands. The selection criteria were hardiness, improved floral and foliage traits.

Tests & Trials: Conducted at Oxford Station, Ontario in the summer of 2001. Ten plants of each variety grown under field conditions, with plants spaced 0.5 metres apart within the row, and each row space 1 metre apart.

Comparison tables for 'White Angel' with reference variety 'Barnsley'

Plant height (cm)

Plant width (cm)

Leaf blade width (cm)

Inflorescence length (cm)

Flower petal colour (RHS)