Petunia plant named ‘Sunsurfmomo’

Botanical designation: Petunia×hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Sunsurfmomo’.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sunsurfmomo’.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Shiga, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Petunia cultivars with attractive foliage shape and coloration.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventors in August, 2001 in Shiga, Japan of the Petunia×hybrida cultivar Polo Velvet, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Petunia×hybrida identified as code number P55h, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Petunia was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Shiga, Japan.

Asexual reproduction of the new Petunia by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Shiga, Japan since September, 2003, has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

The cultivar Sunsurfmomo 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 ‘Sunsurfmomo’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sunsurfmomo’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia:

1. Outwardly spreading to trailing and decumbent plant habit. 2. Vigorous growth habit. 3. Freely branching and flowering plant habit. 4. Long flowering period. 5. Medium-sized light pink-colored flowers with red purple-colored venation.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Polo Velvet. Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the cultivar Polo Velvet in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more decumbent than and not as upright as plants of the cultivar Polo Velvet. 2. Plants of the new Petunia are larger than plants of the cultivar Polo Velvet. 3. Plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Polo Velvet differ in flower color.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Petunia differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more decumbent than and not as upright as plants of the male parent selection. 2. Plants of the new Petunia have larger flowers than plants of the male parent selection. 3. Plants of the new Petunia and the male parent selection differ in flower color.

Plants of the new Petunia can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Sunsurflala, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,786. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Shiga, Japan, plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Sunsurflala differed in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia were more compact and had shorter lateral branches than plants of the cultivar Sunsurflala. 2. Plants of the new Petunia were more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Sunsurflala. 3. Plants of the new Petunia had larger petals than plants of the cultivar Sunsurflala. 4. Plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Sunsurflala differed in flower color.

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Petunia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Sunsurfmomo’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up of typical flowers of ‘Sunsurfmomo’.

The photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown in Shiga, Japan, under commercial practice during the spring in an outdoor nursery day temperatures averaging 23° C. and night temperatures averaging 13° C. Plants were grown for about four months with one plant per 13.5-cm container. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Sunsurfmomo. Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Petunia×hybrida cultivar Polo Velvet, not patented. Male, or pollen, parent. —Proprietary selection of Petunia×hybrida identified as code number P55H, not patented.

Propagation:

Type. —By terminal cuttings. Time to initiate roots. —About one week at temperatures of 20° C. to 25° C. Time to produce a rooted young plant. —About three weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to 25° C. Root description. —Fine, fibrous; light brown in color. Rooting habit. —Freely branching.

Plant description:

Plant and growth habit. —Outwardly spreading to trailing and decumbent plant habit: Freely branching with about 16 lateral branches per plant; pinching enhances lateral branch development. Vigorous growth habit. Plant height. —About 9.2 cm. Plant diameter. —About 44.8 cm.

Lateral branch description:

Length. —About 23 cm. Diameter. —About 2.2 mm. Internode length. —About 1.5 cm. Strength. —Strong. Aspect. —Initially upright to trailing and decumbent. Texture. —Pubescent. Color. —144A.

Foliage description:

Arrangement. —Before flowering, alternate, simple; after flowering, opposite, simple. Length. —About 4.1 cm. Width. —About 2.5 cm. Shape. —Ovate. Apex. —Acute. Base. —Obtuse. Margin. —Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces. —Pubescent. Venation pattern. —Pinnate; reticulate. Color. —Developing foliage, upper and lower surfaces: 144D. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137B; venation, 137B. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 147B; venation, 147B. Petiole. —Length: About 3.1 mm. Diameter: About 1.2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 144D.

Flower description:

Flower arrangement and habit. —Single salverform flowers arising from leaf axils. Freely flowering habit with usually about 30 flowers developing per plant. Flowers not persistent. Flowers face upright or outwardly. Fragrance. —Faint; sweet. Natural flowering season. —Plants of the new Petunia initiate and develop flowers about two to three weeks after planting. Long flowering period; flowering commences naturally during the spring and plants flower continuously throughout the summer until the fall in Japan. Flower longevity. —Individual flowers last about five days on the plant. Flower diameter. —About 5.8 cm. Flower length ( depth ).—About 4.1 cm. Throat diameter. —About 1.2 cm. Tube diameter. —About 2.9 mm. Flower bud. —Shape: Elongated oblong. Length: About 3.9 cm. Diameter: About 6.4 mm. Color: 145D; venation, 144C and 59C. Corolla. —Arrangement: Five petals fused at the base and opening into a flared trumpet. Petal length from throat: About 2.7 cm. Petal width: About 2.8 cm. Petal shape: Broadly obovate. Petal apex: Pointed. Petal margin: Entire; slightly undulate. Petal texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Tube texture: Pubescent. Color: Petal, when opening, upper and lower surfaces: 76D; venation, N78A. Petal, fully opened, upper surface: 75B; venation, N78A. Petal, fully opened, lower surface: 76C; venation, N78B. Throat: 145D; venation, N81B. Tube: 76D; venation, 144C. Calyx. —Arrangement: One star-shaped calyx tube with five sepals fused at the base per flower. Sepal length: About 1.2 cm. Sepal width: About 3.2 mm. Sepal shape: Narrowly elliptic. Sepal apex: Rounded. Sepal margin: Entire. Sepal texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: 137A. Color, lower surface: 137C. Peduncles. —Length: About 3.2 cm. Diameter: About 1.3 mm. Angle: About 45° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent; viscid. Color: 144A. Reproductive organs. —Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: Five per flower. Anther shape: Ellipsoidal. Anther size: About 2 mm by 1.5 mm. Anther color: 11D. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: 11D. Pistils: Quantity: One per flower. Pistil length: About 1.9 cm. Style color: 145D. Stigma shape: Transversely ellipsoidal. Stigma color: 144A. Ovary color: 144A. Seed/fruit: Seed and fruit development have not been observed on plants of the new Petunia.

Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to tolerate temperatures from about 5° C. to about 35° C. Pathogen/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been observed to be resistant to pests and pathogens common to Petunia.