A new and distinct cultivar of Portulaca plant named ‘Bodhigros’, characterized by its upright, low spreading and mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy growth habit; continuous flowering habit; and numerous large purple-colored flowers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPortulacaplant, botanically known asPortulaca grandiflora,and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Bodhigros.

The newPortulacais a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Lompoc, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create newPortulacaswith dense plant habit, numerous large flowers and attractive flower coloration.

The newPortulacaoriginated from a self-pollination made by the Inventor of a proprietaryPortulacaseedling selection identified as code number 2PR65-2, not patented. The newPortulacawas selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the self-pollination by the Inventor in a controlled environment in Lompoc, Calif.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by vegetative cuttings in Lompoc, Calif. since May, 2000 has shown that the unique features of this newPortulacaare stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Bodhigros have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Bodhigros’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Bodhigros’ as a new and distinct cultivar:1. Upright, low spreading and mounded plant habit.2. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy growth habit.3. Continuous flowering habit.4. Numerous large purple-colored flowers.

Compared to plants of the parent selection, plants of the newPortulacadiffer in flower color, have a denser growth habit and flower continuously.

Plants of the newPortulacacan be compared to plants of the seed-propagated cultivar Sundial Pink, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the newPortulacadiffered from plants of the cultivar Sundial Pink in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newPortulacahad a denser growth habit than plants of the cultivar Sundial Pink.2. Plants of the newPortulacaflowered continuously whereas plants of the cultivar Sundial Pink flowered intermittently.3. Flowers of plants of the newPortulacadid not produce pollen whereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Sundial Pink produced pollen.

Plants of the newPortulacacan be compared to plants of the seed-propagated cultivar Margarita Rosita, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the newPortulacadiffered from plants of the cultivar Margarita Rosita in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newPortulacawere more vigorous than plants of the cultivar Margarita Rosita.2. Plants of the newPortulacahad larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Margarita Rosita.3. Flowers of plants of the newPortulacadid not produce pollen whereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Margarita Rosita produced pollen.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION