Balazwilro

Verbena

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Sunmariro' (Temari Rose) and 'USBENAL17' (Superbena Coral Red)

Summary: 'Balazwilro' has a semi-upright growth habit while 'USBENAL17' has an upright growth habit. 'Balazwilro' has a shorter plant height than 'USBENAL17'. 'Balazwilro' has no anthocyanin colouration in the stem while 'Sunmariro' has weak anthocyanin and 'USBENAL17' has very strong anthocyanin along the edges. 'Balazwilro' has white and cream coloured hairs protruding from the corolla tube while 'Sunmariro' has white and pink hairs and 'USBENAL17' has dark pink hairs. 'Balazwilro' has a smaller corolla diameter than 'Sunmariro'. 'Balazwilro' differs slightly in the colour of the corolla and colour of the eye from the reference varieties.

Description:

'Balazwilro' has a semi-upright growth habit with short plant height and narrow to medium plant width. The stem has dense pubescence and is light green in colour. There is no anthocyanin colouration in the stem. The leaf blade is medium to long in length and medium to wide in width. The leaf blade is ovate in shape with a truncate base and crenate margin. The upper side of the leaf blade is medium green in colour and there is no anthocyanin. The petiole is short to medium in length.

'Balazwilro' has a large inflorescence which is broad ovate in profile. The calyx has a few spots of anthocyanin colouration in the teeth. The corolla tube is medium in length and the hairs protruding from the corolla tube are white and cream in colour. The corolla is medium in diameter and the lobes are touching. The corolla lobes are incurved to straight along the longitudinal axis and have weak to medium undulation of the margin. There are two colours on the corolla and the colour pattern is shaded, with the colour becoming lighter towards the apex of the lobes. The upper side of the corolla is red in colour at the base with red purple colour at the apex. The colour fades slightly with age. The corolla eye is medium in diameter and whitish green in colour.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Balazwilro' originated in a controlled breeding program during December 2001 at Arroyo Grande, California, USA. The female parent was a proprietary selection designated BFP-0970, characterized by its semi-trailing habit, bright red flowers and dark green foliage. The male parent was a proprietary selection designated BFP-1476, characterized by its semi-trailing habit, red flowers with an eye and dark green foliage. The initial selection was made in April 2002 and asexual propagation since that time has been through the use of vegetative cuttings.

Tests & Trials: 'Balazwilro' was tested in a polyhouse during the summer of 2005, in St. Thomas, Ontario. The trial included 15 plants of the candidate and reference varieties. Rooted cuttings were transplanted into 15 cm pots on April 25, 2005. All colour measurements were made using the RHS Colour Chart 2001. Measured characteristics were based on ten plant measurements.

Comparison tables for 'Balazwilro' with reference varieties 'Sunmariro' and 'USBENAL17'

Plant height (cm)

Corolla diameter (cm)

Main colour of upper side of corolla (RHS)

Secondary colour of corolla (RHS)