USTUNI8902

Petunia

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Caschamp' (Cascadias Champagne) and 'Jam Hopink' (Jamboree Hot Pink)

Summary: 'USTUNI8902' has a shorter, narrower leaf than the reference varieties. 'USTUNI8902' has a shorter, narrower sepal than 'Caschamp'. 'USTUNI8902' has a smaller corolla diameter than the reference varieties. 'USTUNI8902' differs in the colour of the upper and lower side of the corolla from the reference varieties. 'USTUNI8902' has light purple anther colour before pollen dehiscence while 'Jam Hopink' has yellowish white anther colour.

Description:

PLANT: semi-upright to creeping growth habit, short to medium height, medium to wide

SHOOTS: thin to medium thickness, short to medium length, absent to very weak anthocyanin colouration

LEAVES: short to medium length, narrow, ovate to elliptic, narrow acute apex, no variegation, medium to dark green on upper side, blistering present, petiole short to medium in length

SEPALS: short to medium length, narrow, linear, no anthocyanin colouration

FLOWERS: medium length pedicel, single corolla, small diameter, trumpet shape
COROLLA: moderate lobing, purple red on upper side, blue pink on lower side, veins red and weakly conspicuous, margin with moderate undulation
COROLLA TUBE: medium length, blue pink on inner side, veins weakly conspicuous
ANTHERS: light purple before pollen dehiscence, light blue after dehiscence.

Origin & Breeding History: 'USTUNI8902' originated from a controlled cross between a seed raised variety with red flowers as the female parent and a wild Petunia species as the male parent. The cross was made by the breeder, Ushio Sakazaki, in Shiga, Japan on April 28, 2001. The seed from the cross was collected and sent to Gensingen, Germany for further breeding and selection. The new petunia was selected as a single plant from the resultant progeny on June 18, 2002, in Gensingen, Germany. Selection was based on improved branching characteristics and growth habit.

Tests & Trials: The tests and trials for 'USTUNI8902' were conducted in a polyhouse at BioFlora in St. Thomas, Ontario in the spring of 2006. The trials included 15 plants of each variety. Rooted cuttings were transplanted into six inch pots on April 17, 2006. Observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants of each variety. All colour measurements were made using the 2001 Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'USTUNI8902' with reference varieties 'Caschamp' and 'Jam Hopink'

Leaf length (cm)

Leaf width (cm)

Sepal length (mm)

Sepal width (mm)

Corolla diameter (cm)

Colour of corolla (RHS)

Colour of corolla tube (RHS)

Click on image for larger view

Petunia: 'USTUNI8902' (left) with reference varieties 'Caschamp' (centre) and 'Jam Hopink' (right)