New Guinea impatiens plant named &#8216;Tamar Cherry&#8217;

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named &#8216;Tamar Cherry&#8217;, characterized by its large, rich purple red-colored flowers; freely flowering habit with flowers positioned above or beyond the foliage; upright, somewhat outwardly spreading, rounded, uniform and compact plant habit; freely branching growth habit; and dark green leaves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri , and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Tamar Cherry.

The new Impatiens is a product of a planned breeding program Inventor in Maasland, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new Impatiens cultivars with uniform plant habit and attractive flower and foliage colors.

The new Impatiens originated from a cross made by the Inventor in 1994 of the Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Martinique, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,149, as the male, or pollen parent, with the Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Prepona, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,150, as the female, or seed parent. The cultivar Tamar Cherry was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Maasland, The Netherlands in 1995.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Maasland, The Netherlands, has shown that the unique features of this new Impatiens 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 Tamar Cherry . These charateristics in combination distinguish Tamar Cherry as a new and distinct Impatiens cultivar:

2. Freely flowering habit with flowers positioned above or beyond the foliage.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Maasland, The Netherlands, plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Martinique, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Impatiens flower earlier than plants of the cultivar Martinique.

2. Plants of the new Impatiens display flowers above and beyond the foliage whereas plants of the cultivar Martinique display flowers within the leaf canopy.

3. Flower color of plants of the new Impatiens is lighter than flower color of plants of the cultivar Martinique.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Maasland, The Netherlands, plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Prepona, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Impatiens are more uniform in growth habit than plants of the cultivar Prepona.

2. Plants of the new Impatiens display flowers above and beyond the foliage whereas plants of the cultivar Prepona display flowers mostly within the leaf canopy.

3. Flower color of plants of the new Impatiens is more purple and not as red as flower color of plants of the cultivar Prepona.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The cultivar Tamar Cherry has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, water status and fertility level, without, however, and variance in genotype. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Maasland, The Netherlands, during the early autumn, under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse. Plants used in the following description were about 10 to 12 weeks old from planting rooted cuttings and grown in 12.5-cm containers with one plant per container.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Commercial classification: New Guinea Impatiens cultivar Tamar Cherry.

Time to initiate roots . Summer: About 5 to 7 days at 19 to 20 C. Winter: About 6 to 8 days at 19 to 20 C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting or liner . Summer: About 14 to 19 days at 19 to 20 C. Winter: About 14 to 21 days at 19 to 20 C.

General appearance . Upright, somewhat outwardly spreading, rounded, uniform and compact plant habit. Appropriate for 10 to 25-cm containers; multiple plants are typically planted in larger containers.

Growth and branching habit . Freely branching with about 7 lateral branches at the base. Pinching, that is, removal of the terminal apices, is typically not required. Moderately vigorous.

Crop time . From a rooted cutting, about 10 to 12 weeks are required to produce finished flowering plants in 12-5-cm containers.

Flower type and flowering habit . Single rich purple red flowers. Freely flowering, usually about 8 flowers and flower buds per lateral branch. Flowers positioned above and beyond the foliage and typically face upward or outward. Flowers cupped when opening Then mostly flat when opened. Flowers roughly rectangular in shape. Flowers last about 7 to 14 days on the plant depending on temperature and weather conditions. Petals self-cleaning; gynoecium persistent. Flowers not fragrant.

Flowering season . Year-round under greenhouse conditions. In the garden, flowering from spring until fall.

Flower buds ( just before opening ). Rate of opening: From showing color to fully open flower, typically about 2 to 3 days depending on temperature. Length: About 1.7 cm. Diameter: About 1 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: Darker than 57A.

Seed development . Seed development has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Plants of the new Impatiens has not been observed to be resistant to pathogens common to Impatiens.