plant named ‘SFF22-062’

Genus and species:x

Variety denomination: ‘SFF22-062’.

The present disclosure relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofplant, also known as butterfly bush, a perennial or shrub that is grown for use as an ornamental landscape and container plant and as a hanging basket. The new variety is known botanically asxand will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘SFF22-062’.

‘SFF22-062’ originates from abreeding program, which was started in 2018 and conducted at the inventor's nursery in Arroyo Grande, California. The aim of the breeding program is to develop a series of compact varieties ofxwith pendulous habits especially suitable for use in hanging baskets and planted containers, bearing pendulous flowering inflorescences in a range of colors. The first variety to be released from the breeding program wasPlant named ‘SFF21-026’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 35,795). The inventor has also releasedPlant named ‘SFF22-053’ (co-pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 19/048,472).

The inventor wished to develop further varieties which are compatible in plant habit with the prior releases as above, but exhibiting different flower colors or color combinations.

The breeding of ‘SFF22-062’ commenced in fall 2018 with the harvesting of seeds from aplant known to the inventor as ‘SFF-BUD-21-035’ (unnamed and unreleased and not patented) which is the open-pollinated female parent variety. The male parent is unknown. The harvested seeds were sown and grown out and evaluated for plant habits in three growing cycles from 2019 to 2022 during which period the inventor evaluated the grown-on seedlings for suitability for use in hanging baskets and compatibility with other releases from the breeding program. The inventor selected ‘SFF22-062’ in 2022 for its plant habit and characteristics similar to ‘SFF21-026’ and ‘SFF22-053’ but with the unique characteristic of its intense lustrous rose-pink colored flowers.

The inventor first asexually propagated ‘SFF22-062’ in spring 2022 in a greenhouse at the inventor's nursery in Arroyo Grande, California using stem cuttings rooted in inert rooting wedges. The inventor has confirmed that ‘SFF22-062’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and represent the distinguishing characteristics of ‘SFF22-062’. ‘SFF22-062’ has not been tested under all possible conditions and phenotypic differences may be observed with variations in environmental, climatic, and cultural conditions, without however, any variance in genotype.

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctive characteristics of ‘SFF22-062’. Observations, measurements, values, and comparisons were collected in August 2024 in Santa Barbara, California from a one year old plant which had been growing outdoors in full sun in a 2-gallon container, with one pinch after initial cutting establishment and without any chemical growth regulators. Color determinations were made in accordance with The 2007 Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart from London England, except where general color terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

‘SFF22-062’ may be compared with the female parent variety,‘SFF-BUD-21-035’ as follows: the flower petals and lobes of ‘SFF22-062’ are lustrous and darker pink in comparison with the flower petals and lobes of ‘SFF-BUD-21-035’ which are mid rose-pink in color. The flower petals and lobes of ‘SFF22-062’ are rose-pink in color.

The male parent variety of ‘SFF22-062’ is unknown: no comparison is possible.

The closest variety ofknown to the inventor is the inventor's commercial variety ofPlant named ‘SFF21-026’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 35,795). The flower petals and flower lobes of ‘SFF22-062’ are lustrous darker pink in color in comparison with lighter colored rose-pink flowers of ‘SFF21-026’. In addition, the eyes (i.e. the inner surfaces of the corolla tubes) of the flowers of ‘SFF22-062’ are lighter and brighter yellow-orange in color whereas the eyes of ‘SFF21-026’ are darker orange-yellow in color.