Ballursal

Pelargonium

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Fisromon' (Rocky Mountain Salmon)

Summary: 'Ballursal' differs mainly from 'Fisromon' in flower colour. The flowers of 'Ballursal' are a lighter colour than those of 'Fisromon'. The pedicels of 'Ballursal' are light red, whereas the pedicels of 'Fisromon' are medium red.

Description:

PLANT: intermediate growth habit, medium height, medium width, few branches
STEM: green, medium thickness, dense pubescence

LEAF BLADE: medium length, medium width, closed base
LEAF MARGIN: crenate, weak lobing, shallow incisions, medium to strong waviness
UPPER SIDE OF BLADE: medium green, dense pubescence, no variegation
LEAF ZONE: strongly conspicuous, normal position, reddish brown
PETIOLE: short, dense pubescence

INFLORESCENCE: salmon colour group, medium diameter
PEDUNCLE: medium to long length, dense pubescence, weak anthocyanin colouration
FLORET: semi-double, small diameter, few to medium number of petals, narrow elliptic to elliptic bud, entire petal margin
UPPER PETAL: medium width, upper side red pink with weakly conspicuous red pink striped markings, small to medium sized white basal zone, lower side red pink
LOWER PETAL: narrow to medium, upper side red pink with no markings, small white basal zone, lower side red pink
PEDICEL: short, dense pubescence, light red in middle third, no swelling
SEPAL: dense to very dense pubescence, mostly green with red streaks

Origin & Breeding History: 'Ballursal' originated from a cross pollination conducted on June 1, 2003, at Arroyo Grande, California, as part of a controlled breeding program. The female parent was 'Fisrolisa', characterized by its salmon-pink flower colour, medium green foliage and mounded growth habit. The male parent was 'Duevisal', characterized by its salmon-pink flower colour, medium to dark green foliage and upright-rounded and spreading growth habit. The initial selection was made on May 28, 2005. The selection criteria were flower colour, flower form, leaf colour, leaf shape and plant vigour.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Ballursal' were conducted in a polyhouse in St. Thomas, Ontario, during the summer of 2008. The trials consisted of 15 plants of each variety. All plants were grown from rooted cuttings, transplanted into 15 cm pots on May 20, 2008. Observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants of each variety on July 18, 2008. All colour measurements were made using the 2001 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'Ballursal' with reference variety 'Fisromon'

Colour of upper petal (RHS)

Colour of lower petal (RHS)

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Pelargonium: 'Ballursal' (left) with reference variety 'Fisromon' (right)

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Pelargonium: 'Ballursal' (left) with reference variety 'Fisromon' (right)