Floribunda rose plant named ‘KORfloci114’

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/654,235, which was filed on May 31, 2024, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

Latin name of genus and species of plant claimed:

Variety denomination: ‘KORfloci114’.

The first offer for sale of the new variety was June 2023, on the KORDES website. The first sale or offer for sale of the new variety was by the inventor or another who obtained the new variety directly or indirectly from the inventor. No plants of the new variety have been sold in this country or anywhere in the world, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made, more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application, and such sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

The new variety of floribunda rose plant of the present invention was created by controlled breeding in May 2010 in Sparrieshoop, Germany by artificial pollination wherein two parents were crossed which previously had been studied in the hope that they would contribute the desired characteristics. The female parent (i.e., the seed parent) was an unnamed breeder seedling (not patented). The male parent (i.e., the pollen parent) of the new variety was ‘WEKvossutono’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,473).

The parentage of the new variety can be summarized as follows:unnamed breeder seedling x ‘WEKvossutono’

The seeds resulting from the above pollination were sown and small plants were obtained which were physically and biologically different from each other. Selective study resulted in the identification of a single plant of the new variety.

The new variety has been found to undergo asexual propagation at Wasco, California and Cochranville, Pennsylvania by a number of routes such as vegetative cuttings. Asexual propagation techniques in Wasco, California and Cochranville, Pennsylvania, such as vegetative cuttings, have shown that the characteristics of the new variety are homogeneous, stable, and strictly transmissible by such asexual propagation from one generation to another. Accordingly, the new variety undergoes asexual propagation in a true-to-type manner.

It was found that the new variety of floribunda rose plant of the present invention possesses the following combination of characteristics:

The new variety well meets the needs of the horticultural industry. It can be grown to advantage as distinctive ornamentation in parks, gardens, public areas, and residential landscapes. Accordingly, it is particularly well suited for growing in the landscape.

The new variety can be readily distinguished from its ancestors. More specifically, the new variety displays a larger flower size, more golden yellow flower color, and a higher petal count compared to the unnamed breeder seedling parent (i.e., the seed parent). Additionally, the new variety displays a more golden yellow flower color, a more compact growth habit, exhibits less petaloids, and better disease resistance compared to the ‘WEKvossutono’ variety (i.e., the pollen parent). Moreover, the new variety can be readily distinguished from non-parental related similar varieties. For example, the new variety displays a slightly smaller flower diameter, and a different shade of yellow flower color compared to the ‘KORfloci52’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,314).

The new variety has been named the ‘KORfloci114’ variety.

The chart used in the identification of colors is that of The Royal Horticultural Society (The R.H.S. Colour Chart, 2015 edition). The terminology which precedes reference to the chart has been added to indicate the corresponding color in more common terms and The R.H.S. Colour Chart designation used herein represents the closest color observed on the majority of the specified botanical feature. The description is based on a two-year-old specimen of the new variety, observed during May 2024, while growing on its own roots in a three-gallon container in Cochranville, Pennsylvania.

The new ‘KORfloci114’ variety has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotypic expression may vary somewhat with changes in light intensity and duration, cultural practices, and other environmental conditions.