Scaevola aemula plant named Blue Wonder

A Scaevola aemula cultivar named Blue Wonder, having large, dark green leaves, intensely colored violet-blue flowers, simultaneous flowering on each stem and an overall superior branching habit.

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cultivar of Scaevola 
aemula, known by its cultivar name Blue Wonder. The species is native to 
Australia. 
Varieties of Scaevola aemula have proven good garden plants, able to 
prosper in normal conditions. They are particularly popular as border 
plants. The plant produces four months or more of flowering, and tolerates 
a high degree of climatic and soil variations. 
The species is decumbent, with soft leaves and stems. Cut flowers of the 
species remain upstanding and rigid for as long as two weeks. Plants of 
the species grown in full sun exhibit vigorous and floriferous 
characteristics, although the solid should be kept reasonably moist to 
achieve best results. 
The habit and form of the species is quite variable. All forms, however, 
have fan-shaped flowers which bloom in spring and summer, with the flowers 
varying greatly in size. Flower color is normally mauve to blue, although 
other colors do exist. The leaves are normally bright green. It is an 
attractive potted or garden plant, with its tendency to cascade. The 
native Australian species is popularly known as the Fairy Fan Flower. 
Blue Wonder was selected by applicant from the seedling progeny from a 
cross of unknown parents of Scaevola aemula by applicant, at the Outeniqua 
Nursery, Emerald, Victoria, Australia. Subsequent asexual propagation by 
applicant over successive generations has shown that the unique features 
of this new cultivar are carried over to successive generations. Asexual 
propagation can be by cuttings or by tissue culture. 
Blue Wonder has not been observed under all possible environmental 
conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in 
environment, such as temperature, light intensity, soil conditions, 
nutrients applied and length of day. For example, under hot, shady 
conditions the flower color becomes relatively pale, while under cool and 
bright conditions the flower color is more bright and intense. 
The following characteristics in combination distinguish Blue Wonder from 
other cultivars of the same species found in the wild: 
1. Its vigorous habit, producing a larger and more attractive plant. 
2. The leaves are larger and darker green. 
3. The flowers are larger and more intense in color. 
4. More flowers are produced simultaneously per stem. 
5. Its overall superior branching habit. 
6. Its blue violet flower color. 
Blue Wonder is readily distinguishable from the closest known cultivars of 
the species. The cultivar White Form is much smaller and possesses less 
succulent foliage. It flowers less profusely than does Blue Wonder, and 
its individual flowers are smaller and pure white. 
The cultivar Gawler-Ras has even smaller and narrower foliage than does 
White Form. Gawler-Ras is further characterized by weak growth, sparse 
branching and lilac-purple flowers of about half the size of Blue Wonder. 
In comparison to its parents, Blue Wonder is superior in several respects. 
In fact, in view of the obvious improvements regarding Blue Wonder, the 
parents were subsequently discarded.

Color references are made to the Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart 
except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. 
Growth habit: The cultivar is monopodial, perennial and herbaceous. 
Stems: 
Shape, size and other features.--The stems are semi-upright, prostrate or 
semi pendulous. The stem tips are more or less vertical. Stem diameters 
vary from 2-4 mm, with lengths up to 1,000 mm. The stems are not hollow, 
but contain a whitish pith zone. Stems are slightly keeled, smooth and 
non-pubescent. 
Color.--The stems are olive green to reddish brown. 
Branching habit.--Auxiliary branching from non-flowering leaf axils; 
branching increases from the stem tip to the base of the plant. The leaf 
axils on the flowering stems do not produce axillary shoots. 
Foliage: 
Shape in general.--The leaf shape is more or less spatulate, and the leaf 
margins are slightly to strongly serrated. 
Color.--Upper leaf surface is dark olive-green and the lower surface is 
light green. Both surfaces are slightly pubescent. 
Size and shape.--Strong heterophyllic tendencies; leaves on vegetative 
stems are relatively large and long (60-150 mm long, 15-50 mm wide), with 
strongly serrated margins. Leaves on flowering stems are smaller (15-40 mm 
long, approximately 10 mm wide). The smaller leaves are only slightly 
indented, shallowly serrate or entire. The leaf form is generally 
ovate-acuminate. Leaf shape and size can vary greatly, depending on 
growing conditions, light intensity and length of day. 
Other features.--Older leaves are more or less succulent. Phyllotaxis more 
or less spiral, especially on the flowering portions of the stems. 
Internode length is highly variable; the internodes being longer (20-50 
mm) on the non-flowering portions of stems than on the flowering portions 
(5-30 mm). 
Flowers: 
Shape.--Flower is fan-shaped. 
General.--Flowers appear on the leaf axils of flowering stems, one flower 
per axil; sessile and without a recognizable flower stem, with two 
adjacent lanceolate leaflets approximately 10 mm in length. Flower is 
zygomorphous. Ovary is green, elongate-ovate in shape and about 3 mm in 
length. 
Flower throat.--Open along the upper side, exposing the anthers and stigma, 
about 15 mm long, yellow with purple stripes along the edges and in the 
perianth region. 
Perianth.--Violet blue, approximately 88B (substantially more blue than 
shown in photographs). The lower surface is lighter blue with whitish 
wedges. Diameter of the perianth is 25-30 mm, the perianth being flat and 
at an obtuse angle to the throat. The perianth is semi-circular 
fan-shaped, and is made up of five acuminate-ovate petals fused at their 
bases to form the throat. 
Petal tips.--Acuminate. 
Anthers.--1-2 mm long, first yellow, then brownish. Filaments are 3-4 mm 
long, and protrude from the throat. 
Pistils.--About 15 mm long, slightly bent, purple upper surface and 
greenish lower surface. The pistil is broad, covered with 2 mm purplish 
hairs, and the yellowish white tip is bent downwards. In most cases, 5-15 
flowers are open on each stem tip simultaneously. As the flower fades, it 
falls off altogether with the pistil. 
Fruit: The fruit is oval-elongated, about 4-5 mm in length, 
greenish-purple, located in the leaf axils and sessile. One seed is 
produced per fruit, which is about 3-4 mm in length, blackish-brown and 
surrounded by a succulent endocarp. Seeds do not permit true to type 
propagation.