Impatiens plant named &#8216;Balfusglo&#8217;

A new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant named &#8216;Balfusglo&#8217;, characterized by its single, cupped, yellow-colored flowers, medium green-colored foliage, upright and mounded habit, and excellent basal branching.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Impatiens plant botanically known as Impatiens walleriana Impatiens auricoma and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Balfusglo .

The new cultivar was developed by the inventors in a controlled breeding program during September 1999 at Elburn, Ill. The objective of the breeding program was to develop Impatiens cultivars with numerous flowers, new and unique flower shape and colors, excellent basal branching, and upright compact to moderate growth habit.

The female (seed) parent of Balfusglo was the proprietary Impatiens walleriana selection designated 9516-4 (not patented) characterized by its upright growth habit, coral-colored flowers, and medium green-colored foliage. The male (pollen) parent of Balfusglo was the proprietary Impatiens auricoma selection designated 193 (not patented) characterized by its upright growth habit, yellow-colored flowers, and dark green-colored foliage. Balfusglo was discovered and selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated cross-pollination in August of 2000 at Elburn, Ill. and initially designated PAS T31-08 .

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by shoot tip or stem cuttings since August 2000 at Elburn, Ill. and West Chicago, Ill., has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduce true to type with all the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It was repeatedly found that the cultivar of the present invention:

3. Exhibits a good basal branching character, and

4. Exhibits an upright mounded growth habit.

Plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of the female parent primarily in flower color, flower shape and leaf shape, and from plants of the male parent in flower color, flower shape, leaf size, and branching habit.

Plants of the new cultivar can be compared to plants of 96-009-7 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,972). However, in a side-by-side comparison conducted in West Chicago, Ill., plants of the new cultivar differed from plants of 96-009-7 primarily in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new cultivar have a more compact growth habit than plants of 96-009-7 , and

2. Plants of the new cultivar have larger flowers than plants of 96-009-7 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The chart used in the identification of colors described herein is The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, 1995 edition, except where general color terms of ordinary significance are used. The color values were determined on Sep. 3, 2003 between 9:00 and 10:45 a.m. under natural light conditions.

The following measurements and comparisons describe plants produced from shoot tip or stem cuttings taken from stock plants and grown under greenhouse conditions comparable to those used in commercial practice. The plants were grown in 10 cm pots for 15 weeks utilizing a soilless growth medium. Greenhouse temperatures were maintained at approximately 72 F. during the day and approximately 65 F. during the night. Greenhouse light levels were maintained at approximately 4,000 to 6,000 footcandles during the day.

Type cutting. Shoot tip or stem (with two nodes).

Time to initiate roots. Approximately 7-14 days.

Time to develop a rooted cutting. Approximately 21 days.

Habit of growth. Moderately vigorous with good basal branching. A mature plant, 15 weeks after the planting of a rooted cutting, commonly measures approximately 25.8 cm in height and approximately 42.1 cm in width.

Plant form. Upright and mounded.

Flowering habit. Freely flowering with flowers positioned above the foliage and facing outward.

Natural flowering season. Year round in greenhouse environment. Flowering is continuous from spring until fall in the garden.

Quantity of flowers. Approximately 5 flowers and 5 buds per stem at any one time.

Flower shape. Oval, cupped when first open, becoming more flat with age.

Seed and fruit development: Neither seed nor fruit production has been observed.

Disease and pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Impatiens has not been observed.