Balpevac

Petunia

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Potunia Deep Purple' and 'Balpephan' (Phantom)

Summary: The shoots of 'Balpevac' are longer than those of 'Balpephan'. The leaf of 'Balpevac' is longer that that of 'Potunia Deep Purple' and shorter than that of 'Balpephan'. The apex of the leaf blade of 'Balpevac' is narrow acute while that of 'Balpephan' is obtuse. The pedicels of 'Balpevac' are longer than those of 'Potunia Deep Purple' and shorter than those of 'Balpephan'. The corolla lobe of 'Balpevac' has one colour on the upper side while 'Balpephan' has two colours. The upper side of the corolla lobe of 'Balpevac' differs in colour from that of both reference varieties. The veins on the upper side of the corolla lobe of 'Balpevac' have absent or very weak conspicuousness while those on the corolla lobe of 'Potunia Deep Purple' have medium to strong conspicuousness. The undulation of the corolla lobe of 'Balpevac' is strong while that of 'Potunia Deep Purple' is weak. The inner side of the corolla tube of 'Balpevac' is black with dark violet tones while that of 'Potunia Deep Purple' is violet with brown purple veins. The colour of the anthers before dehiscence is yellowish white for 'Balpevac' while they are light blue for 'Potunia Deep Purple'.

Description:

PLANT: upright growth habit, medium shoot thickness

LEAF: elliptic, narrow acute apex, no variegation, medium green on upper side, no blistering

SEPAL: linear, no anthocyanin colouration
FLOWER: single, funnelform, purple veins
COROLLA LOBE: one colour on upper side, black (RHS 203B) with dark violet (RHS N79A) tones on upper side, absent or very weak conspicuousness of veins on upper side, strong undulation of margin
COROLLA TUBE: black (RHS 203D) with dark violet (RHS N79A) tones on inner side, absent or very weak conspicuousness of veins on inner side, anthers yellowish white before dehiscence

Origin & Breeding History: 'Balpevac' originated from a cross pollination conducted in March 2006 at Elburn, Illinois, USA as part of a controlled breeding program. The female parent of 'Balpepin' is the proprietary breeding selection designated 2445-1 and the male parent is the proprietary breeding selection designated 2329-4-3. The initial selection was made in February 2007 based on unique coloured flowers. Asexual propagation since that time has been through the use of vegetative cuttings.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Balpevac' were conducted in a polyhouse during the spring of 2011 in St. Thomas, Ontario. The trial included a total of 15 plants each of the candidate and reference varieties. All plants were grown from rooted cuttings and transplanted into 15 cm pots on May 9, 2011. Observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants of each variety on June 8, 2011. All colour determinations were made using the 2007 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'Balpevac' with reference varieties 'Potunia Deep Purple' and 'Balpephan'

Shoot length (cm)

Leaf length (cm)

Pedicel length (cm)

Colour of upper side of corolla lobe (RHS)

Colour of corolla tube (RHS)

Click on image for larger view

Petunia: 'Balpevac' (left) with reference varieties 'Potunia Deep Purple (centre) and 'Balpephan' (right)

Click on image for larger view

Petunia: 'Balpevac' (left) with reference varieties 'Potunia Deep Purple (centre) and 'Balpephan' (right)