Patent Publication Number: US-PP11828-P2

Title: Dimorphotheca plant named ‘Mauve’

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dimorphotheca plant, botanically known as  Dimorphotheca aurantiaca  and referred to by the cultivar name ‘Mauve’. 
     The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Emerald, Victoria, Australia. The objective of the breeding program was to create new compact Dimorphotheca cultivars with high temperature tolerance. 
     The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor in 1992 of a proprietary selection of  Dimorphotheca aurantiaca  identified as 90/78 as the female, or seed, parent and a proprietary selection of  Dimorphotheca aurantiaca  identified as 91/179 as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Dimorphotheca was selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of this cross in a controlled environment in Emerald, Victoria, Australia in 1992. 
     Plants of the new cultivar are different from plants of the female parent, the selection 90/78 in plant habit, inflorescence size and floret color. 
     Plants of the new Dimorphotheca are different from plants of the male parent, the selection 91/179 in stem length and floret color. 
     Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings and by tissue culture at Emerald, Victoria, Australia, has shown that the unique features of this new Dimorphotheca 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 ‘Mauve’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Mauve’ as a new and distinct cultivar: 
     1. Low, compact, mounding and outwardly spreading growth habit. 
     2. Numerous leaves and upright inflorescences on long peduncles. 
     3. Moderate growth rate. 
     4. Very freely branching. 
     5. Lavender mauve-colored ray florets contrasted with dark bluish purple anthers and styles. 
     6. Numerous inflorescences per plant. 
     7. Relatively tolerant to high temperatures. 
     Plants of the new cultivar differs from its sibling cultivar ‘Rose’ (disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. application Ser. No. 09/257,095) in growth rate, leaf size, leaf shape and ray floret colro. The new cultivar can be compared to the Osteospermum cultivar ‘Mira’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. Ser. No. 11,082. However in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Emerald, Victoria, Australia, plants of the new cultivar are much more compact, have smaller inflorescences and ray florets are lighter in color. 
     The cultivar ‘Mauve’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS 
     The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. 
     The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a top perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Mauve’. 
     The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of lower and upper surfaces of typical inflorescences (top) and upper and lower surfaces of typical leaves (bottom) of ‘Mauve’. Foliage and floret colors in the photographs may appear different from the actual colors due to light reflectance. 
    
    
     DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION 
     The following observations, measurements and values describe a one-gallon container with three plants of the new cultivar grown in Bonsall, Calif., under outdoor, full-sun conditions with day temperatures ranging from 18 to 35° C. and night temperatures ranging from 13 to 18° C. Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. 
     Botanical classification:  Dimorphotheca aurantiacal cultivar ‘Mauve’. 
     Parentage: 
       Female, or seed, parent .—Proprietary selection of  Dimorphotheca aurantiaca  identified as 90/78. 
       Male, or pollen, parent .—Proprietary selection of  Dimorphotheca aurantiaca  identified as 91/179. 
     Propagation: 
       Type .—By terminal cuttings. 
       Time to initiate roots .—Summer: About 12 to 15 days at 22° C. Winter: About 15 days at 22° C. 
       Time to develop roots .—About 30 days at 22° C. 
       Root description .—Fine to thick; freely branching. 
     Plant description: 
       Appearance .—Perennial herbaceous container and garden plant. Broad inverted triangle. Low, compact, mounding and outwardly spreading growth habit. Compact with dense foliage and erect flower stems. Very freely branching with about 12 lateral branches; removal of terminal apices (pinching) is usually not required. 
       Crop time .—About 8 to 12 weeks are required to produce a finished, flowering plant in a 10-cm container. 
       Vigor .—Moderate. 
       Plant height .—About 18 cm. 
       Plant spread .—About 17 cm. 
       Lateral branch description .—Length: About 14 to 22 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Internode length: About 1 to 1.5 cm. Texture: Sparsely pubescent. Color: 144A. 
       Foliage description .—Leaves alternate, single. Quantity of leaves per lateral branch: Numerous, about 18. Length, fully expanded leaves, basal: About 9 to 10 cm. Width, fully expanded leaves, basal: About 3 cm. Shape: Elliptic to linear with irregular points along margin. Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Attenuate, sessile. Margin: Entire with widely-spaced teeth. Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture: Leathery with very fine pubescence on both surfaces, rough. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: 138A. Young foliage, lower surface: 137C. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137C. Attenuated leaf base: 143C. Venation, upper surface: 138C. Venation, under surface: 138C. 
     Inflorescence description: 
       Appearance .—Daisy-type composite inflorescence form. Inflorescences displayed above foliage, upright on long peduncles arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Typically about 18 opened inflorescences per plant. Inflorescences last about one week. Inflorescences persistent. 
       Flowering reponse .—Plants flower continuously from April to October in the Northern Hemisphere. 
       Fragrance .—None detected. 
       Inflorescence size .—Diameter: About 4.5 cm. Depth (height): About 1.4 cm. Diameter of disc: About 8 mm. 
       Inflorescence buds .—Length: About 1.8 cm. Width: About 8 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: 198A. 
       Ray florets .—Length: About 2.5 cm. Width: About 5 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Tri-dentate, minute. Base: Attenuate, acute. Margin: Entire. Aspect: Nearly flat. Texture: Smooth. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 20 in a single whorl. Color: When opening, upper surface: 84B. When opening, lower surface: 188A. Fully opened, upper surface: 77B to 77C. Fully opened, under surface: 190A. 
       Disc florets .—Shape: Tubular to salverform; five-lobed, fluted at apex. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: Numerous, about 78. Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 2 mm. Color: Immature: 4D. Mature: 4D; apex, 6A. 
       Phyllaries .—Shape: Elliptic to linear. Apex: Narrowly acute. Margin: Entire. Quantity and arrangement: About 20 per inflorescence; whorled. Texture: Coarse. Color: Upper surface: 143B. Lower surface: 143A. 
       Peduncle .—Length: About 10 cm. Aspect: Moderately strong, inflorescences held erect above foliage. Texture: Hispid; granular. Color: 144B. 
       Reproductive organs .—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Stamens: Five. Anther shape: Oblong. Anther size: About 1 mm. Anther color: 86B. Pollen: Scarce. Pollen color: 6A. Gynoecium: Present on ray and disc florets. Pistils: One. Pistil length: About 5 mm. Stigma shape: Bipartite. Stigma color: 93A. Style length: About 4 mm. Style color: 155A. Ovary color: 145A. 
     Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Dimorphotheca has not been observed. 
     Weather tolerance: Plants of the new cultivar have been shown to be more tolerant to high temperatures than other Dimorphotheca cultivars known to the Inventor. 
     Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.