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MP7

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Danpetsweet' (Petitunia Sweet Dream)

Summary: 'MP7' has thinner, shorter shoots and shorter sepals than 'Danpetsweet'. The leaves of 'MP7' are elliptic to round in shape while those of 'Danpetsweet' are obovate. The flower colour for 'MP7' is blue pink while it is bright purple for 'Danpetsweet'. 'MP7' has less conspicuous venation on the inner side of the corolla tube than 'Danpetsweet'. The main colour of the inner side of the corolla tube is white for 'MP7' while it is light blue violet for 'Danpetsweet'.

Description: The plants of 'MP7' are short with a creeping growth habit. The shoots are thin to medium in thickness and short to medium in length with absent to very weak anthocyanin colouration. The leaf blade is elliptic to round in shape with a broad acute apex. The colour of the leaf blade is medium green with no variegation. The leaf blade has no blistering. The sepals range from linear to obovate in shape and have no anthocyanin colouration.

'MP7' has single type, funnel form flowers. The colour of the upper side of the corolla is blue pink. The veins on the inner side of the corolla lobes are purple and weakly conspicuous. Undulation of the corolla margin is moderate. The inner side of the corolla tube is mainly white and conspicuousness of the veins is weak. The colour of the anthers before pollen dehiscence is light gray.

Origin & Breeding History: 'MP7' originated from a Petunia xhybrida breeding program started in 1993 by the breeder in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, Australia. The goal of this breeding program was to develop miniature trailing petunias. A number of smaller flowered petunias including Petunia integrifolia (Hook.) Schinz & Thell. were crossed with a range of annual, single and double varieties. Two cycles of crossing and selection were undertaken each year until 1997 when promising F1 selections were identified. These were crossed in 1997 to give further F1 selections. These selections were crossed in 1998 and the resulting seedlings were grown in field and greenhouse trials during 1999-2000. 'MP7' was selected based on the criteria of the breeding program which were improved flower colour, flower size and plant growth habit.

Tests & Trials: The test and trial for 'MP7' was conducted in a polyhouse during the summer of 2005 at Variety Rights Management in Oxford Station, Ontario. The trial included 15 plants of each variety. The plants were grown in 10 cm pots spaced 15 to 20 cm apart. All colour characteristics were determined using the 2001 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) colour chart and measured characteristics were based on ten plant measurements.

Petunia: 'MP7' (top left), 'X001541' (bottom left) with reference varieties 'MP101' (bottom right) and 'Danpetsweet' (Petitunia Sweet Dream) (top right)