USPP1077P - Saintpaulia or african violet plant - Google Patents

Description

March 11, 1952 GHIO Plant Pat. 1,077

SAINTPAULIA OR AFRICAN VIOLET PLANT Filed July 5, 1949 INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 11, 1952 Plant Pat. 1,077

J-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,077 SAINTPAULIA R; AFRICAN VIOLET PLANT v I Louis Ghio, San Francisco, Calif. EApplication July 5, 1949, Serial No. 103,141 (01. 4740) 1 Claim. l This invention and discovery relates to a distinct and new variety of plant of the species known botanically as'Saintpaulia and generally known as African violet. Although African violets produce blooms of various colors, such as White, pink and blue, and possibly others, this invention and discovery relates to the species in which the blooms have the characteristic of a violet shade of blue color.

The new variety of African violet plant and its distinctive characteristic is illustrated in the accompanying illustration in color, the colors being specifically described in tabular form herein each of the lobes or petalsof-the violet-blue" bloom. The other characteristics of this new variety are well known in previously existing African violet plants of the type having violetblue blooms.

The new and distinct variety was originated and discovered as a bud sport of a plant of well known violet-blue African violet, in a glass house under my supervision and control in San Francisco, California, and in an immediate environment of several thousand of other plants of African violets having the well-known characteristic of violet-blue color of the petals of the bloom.

It was noted that one plant centrally situated with relation to other African violet plants of the type having violet-blue petals to the blooms, had blooms on approximately one-half of the plant which were of the characteristic well-known violet-blue color throughout the area of the lobes or petals of the bloom, whereas the blooms on the other approximate half of the plant had violet-blue blooms in which the individual lobes or petals had a white edging about one thirtysecond (3%) of an inch wide at the peripheral edge of each of the five lobes of the bloom.

This one plant was of parentage similar to all the other African violet plants having violetblue blooms, which were in the same immediate environment.

This one plant having the sport of new variety was removed from its immediately surrounding plants and placed separately in the glass house, carefully protected from direct rays of the sun as is usual in growing African violets, and was treated, watered and nurtured similar to other plants of the African violet species. It developed no other distinctive characteristics not and treated to similar growing conditionsin the same glass house. Three of the leaf cuttings produced plants which had the ordinary violet-blue hue and color throughout the petals of the bloom. Five of the leaf cuttings produced plants all the blooms of which had petals including the distinct characteristic of white peripheral edge portion of the petals as previously described. From these five plants the plant of the new varietyhas been successively reproduced asexually, by leaf cuttings. Its asexual'reproduction has been uniform in character and detail with customary, propagation ofother plants of African violets.

The asexual reproduction of the new variety having aforesaid distinctive characteristic has been thoroughly established and fixed through asexual propagation in like manner of leaf cuttings through at least five generations of asexual propagation in the same glass house at San Francisco, California, through a period of two years.

The following is a detailed description of this new variety:

Parentage Origin: Bud sport. Parentage:

Parent variety.saintpaulia or African violet of violet-blue bloom variety.

Flower Blooming habit: Recurrent and continual. Bud:

Size.- to 4 inch, ball form. Ballad petaZs.-Colorpinkish blue. C'aZya:.-Colorgreenish red; form-gamosepalous; sepals, usually 5 acuminate. Bloom:

Size.-% to 1% inch between opposite tips of lobes. Form.Short tubed, gamopetalous corolla,

5 ovate lobes. Borne-Clusters of 3 to 5, cymose. Stems-Slender, length 1 to 1% inch; peduncles, length 2 to 3 inches from cyme to base; color of stems and peduncles brownish red.

Petalage.--Gamopetalous; number, lobes; color, violet shade of blue, except that each lobe has a substantially white peripheral edge strip about 1 inch in width.

Fragrance.None.

Persistence of bloom.Deciduous; lasting quality, good, petals hold to bloom (average) days.

Texture-Silky obverse surface.

Genital organs:

Stamens.--Color, whitish green; number, 2;

length inch.

Anthers.-Color, yellow, closely side by side in abutting pairs.

Pollen.-Co1or, yellow.

Style-Color, violet blue; 1 in number;

length short (average) inch.

Stigma.-Inconspicuous, very small.

Ovary.-Single with plural ovules.

Plant (other than inflorescence) Form:

Siee.--Overa1l diameter 6 to 9 inches; height 5 to 6 inches; structure-overlapping rosette growth of foliage leaves erect at center of plant and inclined outwardly horizontally planar at perimeter of plant. Foliage leaves:

Shape.--Prolately ovate-cordate, slightly scalloped convexly at peripheral edge. Color.Upper or obverse face, green; lower or reverse face, light green. Size of leaves-Axially 2 to 2- inches;

transversely 1 to 2 inches. Texture-Subcoreaceous,pubescent.

Pebbles-Color, pink; length 2 to 3 inches; erect at center and inclined outwardly at perimeter-0f plant. Pinkish color of petioles extends into midrib and major venation oi some, but not all, of foliage leaves.

Asexual reproduction By leaf cuttings. The color designations according to A Dictionary of Color by Maerz and Paul, are as follows:

Column Line Part of Plant Color Plate Letter No.

Parent Variety:

llloom petalageuww Violetblue. 5 1' L 11 This New Variety-- r Bud:

Balled petals Pinkish-bluc.. 44 L 8 Calyx Greenish'red H 5 Bloom:

Stelmsundpcdun' Brownish-red. 55 J 5 ces. Petalage. Violet-blue. 41 L 11 Edge strip of petal White 41 A 2 lobes. Genitol'Organs:

St whitish-green 17 B 2 Yellow 17 L 1 d0 17 L 1 Style Violet-Blue... 41 L 11 Foliage Leaves:

Obvcrse lace Green 22. L 8 Reverseface Light green, .17. B 2 Petioles Pinkish 53 J 4 I claim:

A new and distinct variety of African violet plant, substantially as described andillustr-ated, having blooms the petals of which. have violetblue color with a white edge portion substantially one thirty-second of an inch in width around the peripheral edge portion of the petals.

LOUIS GHIO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in'the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES" PATENTS Number Name Date Pl. Ft. 535 Ulery July 28, 1942 P1. Pt. 769 Baxter Dec. 16, 1947 Pl. Pt. 7'10 Baxter Dec. 16, 1947

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