Balsunmibu

Petunia

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Cascadias Noble Blue' and 'Whip Bule' (Whispers Blue)

Summary: The shoots of 'Balsunmibu' are thick while those of both reference varieties range from thin to medium thickness. The leaf of 'Balsunmibu' is longer than that of 'Whip Bule' and narrower than that of both reference varieties. The upper side of the leaf blade of 'Balsunmibu' is dark green while the leaf blades of both reference varieties are medium green. The pedicels of 'Balsunmibu' are longer than those of both reference varieties. The sepals of 'Balsunmibu' are longer than those of 'Whip Bule'. There is no anthocyanin colouration present on the sepals of 'Balsunmibu' whereas there is anthocyanin colouration present for 'Whip Bule'. The flowers of 'Balsunmibu' are larger than those of 'Whip Bule'. The corolla lobe margin has medium to strong undulation for 'Balsunmibu' while it has weak to medium undulation for 'Cascadias Noble Blue'. The corolla tube of 'Balsunmibu' is longer than that of 'Whip Bule'. The colour of the anthers before dehiscence is light grey for 'Balsunmibu' while they are violet for 'Cascadias Noble Blue' and light blue for 'Whip Bule'.

Description:

PLANT: upright to creeping growth habit, thick shoot

LEAF: elliptic, narrow to broad acute, no variegation, dark green on upper side, no blistering

SEPAL: obovate, no anthocyanin colouration
FLOWER single, funnelform, purple veins
COROLLA LOBE: one colour on upper side, upper side dark violet (RHS 83A/86A), medium conspicuousness of veins on upper side, medium to strong undulation of margin
COROLLA TUBE: violet (RHS N79D) with dark violet (RHS N92A) veins on inner side, absent or very weak conspicuousness of veins on inner side, anthers light grey before dehiscence

Origin & Breeding History: 'Balsunmibu' originated from a cross pollination conducted in June 2006 at Arroyo Grande, California, USA as part of a controlled breeding program. The female parent of 'Balsunmibu' is the proprietary breeding selection designated 3141-1-1 and the male parent is the proprietary breeding selection designated 2730-2-1. The initial selection was made in May 2007 based on non-fading flower colour, flower and foliage size, foliage colour and growth habit that matches the Suncatcher series. Asexual propagation since that time has been through the use of vegetative cuttings.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Balsunmibu' 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. Plants of the varieties 'Balsunmibu' and 'Cascadias Noblue Blue' were planted on May 9, 2011. Plants of the variety 'Whip Bule' were planted on April 21, 2001 and cut back 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 'Balsunmibu' with reference varieties 'Cascadias Noble Blue' and 'Whip Bule'

Leaf length (cm)

Leaf width (cm)

Pedicel length (cm)

Sepal length (cm)

Flower diameter (cm)

Corolla tube length (cm)

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Petunia: 'Balsunmibu' (left) with reference varieties 'Cascadias Noble Blue' (centre) and 'Whip Bule' (right)

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Petunia: 'Balsunmibu' (left) with reference varieties 'Cascadias Noble Blue' (centre) and 'Whip Bule' (right)

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Petunia: 'Balsunmibu' (left) with reference varieties 'Cascadias Noble Blue' (centre) and 'Whip Bule' (right)