A new and distinct cultivar of Catharanthus plant named ‘CaTU 1917’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely basal branching habit; freely flowering habit; long flowering period; relatively small star-shaped dark red-colored flowers with pale yellow-colored centers; and good garden performance.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTORS/APPLICANTS & ASSIGNEE

The Inventors/Applicants and Assignee, Suntory Flowers Limited of Tokyo, Japan, assert that no publications nor advertisements relating to sales, offers for sale or public distribution occurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application. Any information about the claimed plant would have been obtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from the Inventors/Applicants and/or the Assignee. Inventors/Applicants and Assignee claim a prior art exemption under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosure and/or sales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior to the effective filing date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Catharanthus plant, botanically known as Catharanthus roseus and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘CaTU 1917’.

The new Catharanthus plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new compact and freely branching Catharanthus plants with numerous small attractive flowers.

The new Catharanthus plant originated from a self-pollination in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan in June 2018 of a proprietary selection of Catharanthus roseus identified as code designation Tu19, not patented. The new Catharanthus plant was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated self-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan in February 2019.

Asexual reproduction of the new Catharanthus plant by vegetative tip cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan since December 2019, has shown that the unique features of this new Catharanthus plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘CaTU 1917’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘CaTU 1917’ as a new and distinct Catharanthus plant:

Plants of the new Catharanthus can be compared to plants of the parent selection. Plants of the new Catharanthus differ primarily from plants of the parent selection in flower size as plants of the new Catharanthus have smaller flowers than plants of the parent selection. In addition, flower petals of plants of the new Catharanthus are narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate in shape whereas flower petals of plants of the parent selection are broadly obovate to transversely elliptic in shape.

Plants of the new Catharanthus can be compared to plants of the Catharanthus roseus ‘Suncath 132’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 33,809. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Catharanthus differ from plants of ‘Suncath 132’ in the following characteristics:

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during the summer in 24-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan and under cultural practices typical of commercial production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 25° C. and night temperatures averaged 15° C. Plants were four months old when the photographs and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.