A new and distinct cultivar of Physocarpus plant named ‘Mindia’, characterized by its upright, mounding and compact plant habit; freely branching growth habit; copper-colored leaves with deep lobes and serration; and resistance to Powdery Mildew.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPhysocarpusplant, botanically known asPhysocarpus opulifolius,and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Mindia’.

The newPhysocarpusis a product of a breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Angers, France. The objective of the breeding program was to create new compact and freely branchingPhysocarpuscultivars.

The newPhysocarpusoriginated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor of thePhysocarpus opulifoliuscultivar Darts Gold, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with thePhysocarpus opulifoliuscultivar Monlo, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,211, as the male, or pollen, parent. The newPhysocarpuswas discovered and selected by the Inventor during the summer of 2000 as a single plant in a controlled environment in Angers, France, within a population of the progeny resulting from the cross-pollination.

Asexual reproduction of the newPhysocarpusby cuttings was first conducted in Angers, France during the summer of 2002. Since then, asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newPhysocarpusare 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 ‘Mindia’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Mindia’ as a new and distinctPhysocarpus:1. Upright, mounding and compact plant habit.2. Freely branching growth habit.3. Copper-colored leaves with deep lobes and serration.4. Resistant to Powdery Mildew.

Plants of the newPhysocarpuscan be compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Darts Gold. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Grand Haven, Mich., plants of the newPhysocarpusdiffered from plants of the cultivar Darts Gold primarily in foliage coloration as plants of the cultivar Darts Gold have gold-colored foliage.

Plants of the newPhysocarpusare most similar to plants of the male parent, the cultivar Monlo. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Grand Haven, Mich., plants of the newPhysocarpusdiffered from plants of the cultivar Monlo in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newPhysocarpuswere more compact than plants of the cultivar Monlo.2. Plants of the newPhysocarpuswere more freely branching than plants of the cultivar Monlo.3. Plants of the newPhysocarpushad smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Monlo.4. Leaves of plants of the newPhysocarpuswere copper in color whereas leaves of plants of the cultivar Monlo were purple and green in color.5. Plants of the newPhysocarpuswere resistant to Powdery Mildew whereas plants of the cultivar Monlo were not resistant to Powdery Mildew.

Plants of the newPhysocarpuscan be compared to plants of the cultivar Diabolo, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Grand Haven, Mich., plants of the newPhysocarpusdiffered from plants of the cultivar Diabolo in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newPhysocarpuswere more compact than plants of the cultivar Diabolo.2. Plants of the newPhysocarpuswere more freely branching than plants of the cultivar Diabolo.3. Leaves of plants of the newPhysocarpuswere copper in color whereas leaves of plants of the cultivar Diabolo were green to black in color.4. Plants of the newPhysocarpuswere resistant to Powdery Mildew whereas plants of the cultivar Diabolo were not resistant to Powdery Mildew.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION