Whip Burgto

Petunia

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Jam Burg' (Jamboree Burgundy) and 'Sunripami' (Surfinia Baby Purple)

Summary: 'Whip Burgto' has a longer sepal length than 'Sunripami'. 'Whip Burgto' has anthocyanin colouration in the sepal while the reference varieties have no anthocyanin. 'Whip Burgto' has a smaller corolla diameter than 'Jam Burg'. 'Whip Burgto' differs from the reference varieties in the colour of the upper and lower side of the corolla. 'Whip Burgto' has a shorter corolla tube length than 'Jam Burg'. 'Whip Burgto' has yellowish white anther colour after pollen dehiscence while 'Jam Burg' has medium blue anthers and 'Sunripami' has light grey anthers.

Description:

PLANT: semi-upright growth habit, short, narrow to medium width

SHOOTS: medium thickness, short to medium length, medium anthocyanin colouration

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

SEPALS: medium length, narrow to medium width, linear, anthocyanin colouration present

FLOWERS: medium length pedicel, single corolla, small diameter, salverform shape
COROLLA: weak to moderate lobing, dark red purple on upper side, violet on lower side, veins purple and very weakly conspicuous, margin with medium undulation
COROLLA TUBE: short to medium length, dark violet on inner side, veins weakly conspicuous
ANTHERS: yellowish white before and after pollen dehiscence.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Whip Burgto' originated as part of a planned pedigree breeding program in California, USA. The new variety originated from a cross made by the breeder in November 2002 between the female parent, '1299-1', a proprietary seedling with purple coloured flowers, and the male parent '1346-2', a proprietary line with red coloured flowers. The resultant seed was sown in April 2003 and in June 2003 a single plant was selected by the breeder based on flower colour, flowering time, plant vigour and shorter internodes on the flowering stem.

Tests & Trials: The tests and trials for 'Whip Burgto' 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 'Whip Burgto' with reference varieties 'Jam Burg' and 'Sunripami'

Sepal length (mm)

Flower diameter (cm)

Colour of corolla (RHS)

Colour of corolla tube (RHS)

Corolla tube length (mm)

Click on image for larger view

Petunia: 'Whip Burgto' (left) with reference varieties 'Jam Burg' (centre) and 'Sunripami' (right)