Petunia plant named `Wespur`

A distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named `Wespur`, characterized by its compact plant habit; relatively small leaves; numerous purple flowers; cascading and freely branching growth habit; early flowering; and good weather tolerance, particlarly tolerant to rain, wind and low temperatures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia 
plant, botanically known as Petunia.times.hybrida, and hereinafter 
referred to by the cultivar name `Wespur`. 
The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the 
Inventor in Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany. The new Petunia originated from a 
cross made by the Inventor in 1996 in Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany, of a 
seedling selection of Petunia.times.hybrida identified as Sylvana 95/304 
as the female, or seed, parent with the nonpatented Petunia.times.hybrida 
cultivar Sylvana Purple as the male, or pollen parent. 
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at 
Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany, has shown that the unique features of this new 
Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Plants of the cultivar Wespur have not been observed under all possible 
environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations 
in environment such as temperature, light intensity, daylength, and 
fertility level without, however, any variance in genotype. 
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be 
the unique characteristics of `Wespur`. These characteristics in 
combination distinguish `Wespur` as a new and distinct cultivar: 
1. Compact plant habit. 
2. Relatively small leaves. 
3. Numerous purple flowers. 
4. Cascading and freely branching growth habit. 
5. Relatively early flowering. 
6. Good weather tolerance, particularly tolerant to rain, wind and low 
temperatures. 
Plants of the cultivar Wespur are similar in flower color to plants of the 
nonpatented `Surfinia Purple`. However in side-by-side comparisons 
conducted in Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany, plants of the cultivar Wespur differ 
from plants of the cultivar Surfinia Purple in the following 
characteristics: 
1. Plants of the new Petunia are more compact than of plants of the 
cultivar Surfinia Purple. 
2. Leaves of plants of the new Petunia are smaller than leaves of plants of 
the cultivar Surfinia Purple. 
3. Plants of the new Petunia have more but smaller flowers than plants of 
the cultivar Surfinia Purple. 
4. Plants of the new Petunia flower earlier than plants of the cultivar 
Surfinia Purple. 
5. Plants of the new Petunia exhibit better weather tolerance, particularly 
to rain, than plants of the cultivar Surfinia Purple.