A new and distinct variety of Gypsophila paniculata L. that is particularly characterized by its broad leaves and full, ball-shaped flowers with full petal coverage, some petals of which exhibit a pink corona.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to the discovery and asexual propagation of a 
new and distinct variety of Gypsophila paniculata L. (a member of the 
Caryophyllaceae family, and sometimes called Baby's Breath). The new 
Gypsophila variety is a mutation of the Gypsophila paniculata L. variety 
commonly known as "Perfecta." The "mother plant" of the new Gypsophila 
paniculata L. "Or" variety was discovered in a cultivated planting of 
"Perfecta" plants that were growing in a nursery in Moshav Olesh, Israel, 
wherein the "Perfecta" variety has been grown for years as a commercial 
source of "Perfecta" variety plants. The soil in the nursery had been 
sterilized between growth seasons; thus there is no possibility that the 
"Or" mutation was the result of cross-breeding, and the most probable 
source for the mutation is a spotted mutation. 
The new Gypsophila paniculata L. variety of this invention has been names 
"Or." Testing has shown the "Or" variety is stable in its distinguishing 
characteristics over several succeeding generations upon asexual 
propagation by using shoot cuttings and tissue culturing. "Or" is a 
decorative, graceful plant which is useful as an ornamental garden plant, 
and its cut flowers are useful for creating floral decorations.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT 
Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter 
signify that the name of that color as used in common speech is aptly 
descriptive. Color names beginning with a capital letter designate values 
based on the R.H.S. Colour Chart published by The Royal Horticultural 
Society of London, England. 
The descriptive matter which follows pertains to the "Or" variety of 
Gypsophila paniculata L. plants grown in Kubbutz Rosh Hanikra, Western 
Galilee, Israel, in Kibbutz Gaaton, Western Galilee, Israel and in Moshav 
Olesh, Israel, and is believed to apply to plants of the "Or" variety 
grown in similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere. 
The "Or" Gypsophila paniculata L. variety that is the subject of the 
present invention has, inter alia, the following features and 
characteristics that distinguish "Or" from other Gypsophila paniculata L. 
plants and particularly from its parent, "Perfecta" (the variety closest 
to "Or"). Plant features and characteristics not specifically set forth 
are substantially the same as that of the parent variety, "Perfecta." 
The new "Or" variety is a rather tall Gypsophila plant, growing to about 
1.+-.0.2 meters. It grows taller than the "Perfecta," which grows to about 
0.9.+-.0.2 meters. The plant is rich with flowering stems, its stems 
freely branching from the base up, forming a globose bush at flowering 
time. 
The "Or" plant is a medium-to-late flowering variety, flowering about 10 to 
14 days later than "Perfecta" (the period of time from planting to 
flowering depends on the time of planting and light conditions, namely, 
natural or artificial). Inflorescence is diffuse and involves large 
panicles with corymbiform branches. The plant produces myriads of small, 
white flowers, resulting in a mass of delicate bloom. 
The new "Or" plant produces flowers that are full and larger than that of 
"Perfecta." The flowers are ball-shaped and have a diameter, when fully 
grown, of about 10 mm. While "Or" produces larger flowers than "Perfecta," 
its fertility is not affected; the "Or" variety is as fertile as 
"Perfecta," and produces just as many flowers. No attempt was made to 
"produce" seed from the "Or" variety. 
The number of petals in the flowers of "Or" is larger than that in 
"Perfecta." in "Perfecta" there are fewer petals at the center of the 
flower and therefore, a green coloration appears. In "Or" the petal 
coverage is full and so such coloration is absent. The longitudinal axis 
of the petals is recurved in "Or", but is straight in "Perfecta." The 
sepals in "Or" are larger than in "Perfecta." 
The petals in "Or" are White (R.H.S. 155 D), with some having a Pink 
(R.H.S. 56 C) corona, while all of the petals in "Perfecta" are plain 
white. Petals with a pink corona become apparent as a pink hue on the 
fringes of the petals of the flowers. This pink color appears in 
approximately 30 percent of the flowers, and always at the center of the 
inflorescence. The pink color in "Or" is expressed stronger in the winter 
and spring. 
One of the characteristics of most Gypsophila paniculata L. plants is an 
anthocyanin coloration of the stems. A weak anthocyanin coloration can be 
seen in the leaf axil of the parent variety, "Perfecta." This coloration 
is, however, absent from the stems of the "Or" variety. 
The leaves of the "Or" plant are wide and bright, and substantially broader 
than those of "Perfecta." The "Or" leaves are about 22-32 mm in width, 
while "Perfecta" leaves are about 10-20 mm in width. The leaves of "Or" 
are linear-lanceolate and have a straight cross-sectional shape, while 
those of "Perfecta" have a concave cross-sectional shape. 
The conditions for growing "Or" are generally similar to those of other 
Gypsophila paniculata L. varieties. 
Culturing plant material in order to obtain a large number of microplants 
and plants is generally performed by micropropagation techniques, known 
per se. Briefly, plant buds are cut off from plants or microplants and 
then inserted into a growth medium such as MS-nutrient medium (Murashige, 
T. and Skoog, F. (1962) Physiol. Plant 15: 473-497). The micropropagation, 
in accordance with such a tissue culture growth method, requires the 
observing of strict sterile conditions. The cultures are grown until 
microplants are obtained that are suitable for further propagation or for 
transfer to the soil. 
The microplants are then transferred each to a separate flower pot in an 
air-conditioned, insect-proof room. The flower pots may contain a bed of 
tuff in which case nutrition is provided to the plants through the 
irrigation system. 
In the next stage, the plants are transferred to a nursery where they may 
also be grown in a tuff bed. The plants in the nursery are propagated and 
used to found the "mother plantation." The propagation in order to obtain 
the "mother plantation" and subsequently in order to obtain large number 
of plants may be vegetative shoot cuttings, namely by the regeneration of 
plant from shoots cut from a mother plant.