A new and distinct cultivar of Nemesia plant named ‘Wesnerasp’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounded growth habit; freely branching and flowering plant habit; durable dark green-colored leaves; dark and light red purple-colored flowers; and good garden performance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofNemesia,botanically known asNemesia hybridaand hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Wesnerasp’.

The newNemesiais a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Südlohn, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compactNemesiacultivars with uniform plant habit and attractive flower coloration.

The newNemesiaoriginated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2004 in Südlohn, Germany of a proprietary selection ofNemesia hybridaidentified as code number 04P009, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection ofNemesia hybridaidentified as code number 04P087, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The newNemesiawas discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany in 2005.

Asexual reproduction of the newNemesiaby vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany since 2005, has shown that the unique features of this newNemesiaare stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Wesnerasp has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature, daylength 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 ‘Wesnerasp’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Wesnerasp’ as a new and distinct cultivar ofNemesia:1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounded growth habit.2. Freely branching and flowering plant habit.3. Durable dark green-colored leaves.4. Dark and light red purple-colored flowers.5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the newNemesiadiffer from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newNemesiaare not as upright as plants of the female parent selection.2. Plants of the newNemesiaare more vigorous than plants of the female parent selection.3. Plants of the newNemesiahave stronger lateral branches than plants of the female parent selection.4. Plants of the newNemesiaand the female parent selection differ in flower color as plants of the female parent selection have creamy white-colored flowers.

Plants of the newNemesiadiffer from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newNemesiaare more compact than plants of the male parent selection.2. Plants of the newNemesiahave larger leaves than plants of the male parent selection.3. Plants of the newNemesiahave larger and more durable leaves than plants of the male parent selection.4. Plants of the newNemesiahave smaller flowers than plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the newNemesiacan be compared to plants of the cultivar Nemhapri, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,108. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Südlohn, Germany, plants of the newNemesiadiffered from plants of the cultivar Nemhapri in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newNemesiawere larger than plants of the cultivar Nemhapri.2. Plants of the newNemesiahad longer and stronger lateral branches than plants of the cultivar Nemhapri.3. Plants of the newNemesiahad smaller flowers than plants of the cultivar Nemhapri.4. Plants of the newNemesiaand the cultivar Nemhapri differed in flower color as plants of the cultivar Nemhapri had pink and orange-colored flowers.

Plants of the newNemesiacan be compared to plants of the cultivar Inuppink, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,472. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Südlohn, Germany, plants of the newNemesiadiffered from plants of the cultivar Inuppink in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newNemesiawere not as upright as plants of the cultivar Inuppink.2. Plants of the newNemesiahad longer and thicker lateral branches than plants of the cultivar Inuppink.3. Plants of the newNemesiahad longer leaves than plants of the cultivar Inuppink.4. Plants of the newNemesiahad longer and narrower sepals than plants of the cultivar Inuppink.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION