Pentas

Pentas - Spring 2005

Flower Color, Plot Development Over Time, Data and Comments

Data and pictures will be added as time allows.

Vinca

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Vinca

Botany
Family:	Rubiaceae (madder family).
Scientific names:	Pentas lanceolata (Forssk.) Deflers [The Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)].
Common names:	Egyptian star-cluster, star- cluster (GRIN). Also, simply referred to as pentas.
Native habitat:	Eastern tropical Africa to southern Arabia (University of Conneticut Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Conservatory). Introduced to North America (USDA). Read more about this crop by clicking on the gator: .
	View maps related to habitat and other topics from this link to the National Geographic MapMachine: .
Pests
Common plant arthropods (insects/other)/other:	Reported arthropod symptoms in literature: Fungus gnats (in flats), aphids, mites, mealybugs, lepidopterous larvae and whiteflies have been reported on this crop (PanAmerican Seed). The tersa sphinx moth (Xylophanes tersa) was found on foliage in Naples, Florida. European earwig (Featured Creatures. University of Florida.).
	Arthropod symptoms observed in this trial: In past trials at Bradenton, insect foliage feeding by a beetle (unidentified) on all cultivars was observed.
Common plant diseases/other:	Reported disease symptoms in literature: Cercospora sp., leaf spot; Corynesopora sp., leaf spot; Oidium sp., powder mildew; Phyllosticta sp., leaf spot; Pythium sp., root rot; Rhizoctonia solani, root and stem rot.;, Pythium, Botrytis blight. (Index of Plant Diseases in Florida, 1984 revision.).
	Diseases symptoms observed in this trial: In past trials at Bradenton, Fusarium oxysporum , crown rot, was isolated from plants in this trial and in the spring 2003 trial; each trial was in a different, isolated location on the farm. Leafspots on flowers (gray mold-like) and necrotic blotches on foliage (possibly associated with the Fusarium) and/or iron toxicity-like symptoms, though pH was not outside the acceptable range.
Commercial control:	Greenhouse.	Feld/shade house.
Arthropod information:	Pests identified on crops. Search the Arthropod/Host Plant Database.		Florida pest facts and images. Featured Creatures
Disease information:	Plant Disease Facts (Pennsylvania State University) Ornamental Plant Disease Fact Sheets		The American Phytopathological Society Search Common Names of Plant Diseases
More Links and Information
Performance evaluations:	Trial reports and other publications.
More resources:	Additional information.

Honors:

Best-of-class (BC). We select the best performer in each class, based on the "overall performance rating". This rating may not be high, if the class does not perform well (indicating a possible need for improvement in the class). The rating may be significantly different from one or more members of the class. If two or more members of a class received the same highest overall performance rating, we used another rating (such as overall foliage/flower rating or flower average rating) to determine BC. If only one cultivar was entered in a class, it automatically becomes uncontested BC. BC is evaluated in future trials against the performance of new entries in the same class. Refer to a report in "Articles, Papers & Reports" for detailed information. In addition to BC, other "honors" received for these cultivars may be added to BC at a later date, time permitting. Seed companies may forward these honors (awards) to Rick Kelly.

Rating System:

The rating is a 1 to 7 scale: 7- all foliage and flowers free from defects; 4- average foliage and flower condition, minimal plant defects or pest damage to tissue, but still acceptable; 1- foliage and/or flowers with severe defects and/or severely infested with pests and damage unacceptable, making plant undesirable. Plant death due to soilborne pests may be factored into the overall performance rating, if it is a significant problem. Refer to a report in "Articles, Papers & Reports" for details. If listed, ratings with an "a" are the best in a class. If cultivars share the same letters, those ratings are considered to be similar to each other. If there are no letters, there is only one cultivar in a class or all the members of a class have similar ratings.

American Takii

Ball Seed

Bodger Seeds

Floranova Plant Breeders

Goldsmith Seeds

Grimes Seeds & Plants

Kieft Seeds Holland

E. Benary Seed of America

Scroll down the page or click on the color of choice to view individual cultivars within a color class:

Pink Class

Purple, Blue-Violet Class

Red Class

Winter

Pink Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom'	Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 14

E. Benary Seed of America
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

Pink Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Graffiti Pink'	Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 108

E. Benary Seed of America
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

Details of performance for this cultivar will be posted on the web in "Articles, Papers & Reports" at the completion of this trial. These details will include ratings over the entire season and pest problems.

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Purple, Blue-Violet Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Kaleidoscope Lilac'	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 17

E. Benary Seed of America
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

Purple, Blue-Violet Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Butterfly Lavender Shades'	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 48

Ball Seed
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

Purple, Blue-Violet Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Butterfly Light Lavender Improved'	Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 49

Ball Seed
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

Purple, Blue-Violet Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Graffiti Violet'	Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 110

E. Benary Seed of America
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

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Red Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Kaleidoscope Carmine'	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 15

E. Benary Seed of America
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

Red Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Kaleidoscope Deep Red'	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 16

E. Benary Seed of America
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

Red Class

Picture date:	18 June (week 18¹)	3 July (week 20)	15 July (week 22 )
'Graffiti Bright Red'	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot B Sprayed Field Plot C Sprayed Field	Plot C Sprayed Field
Cultivar No: 109

E. Benary Seed of America
Picture date:

Seed Sowing Date	Flower Diameter	Days to First Flower²	Overall Foliage/Flower Rating³	Overall Pest Rating⁴	Overall Performance Rating⁵

Honors:

Comments:

ROK

1. The number of weeks from seed sowing to the date the plant was photographed. Photographs were taken in a field sprayed on demand as needed, after scouting for pests, and a field that is not sprayed at all.

2. Average number of days from sowing to unfurling of the first flower in the plots.

3. The average of the combined foliage and flower data in the sprayed field as an expression of cultivar quality; rating scale: 1 = poor to 7 = excellent (details above).

4. The average of the combined foliage and flower data in the unsprayed field as an expression of arthropod and disease symptoms; rating scale: 1 = poor to 7 = excellent (details above).

5. The average of the combined overall foliage/flower rating and overall pest rating; rating scale: 1 = poor to 7 = excellent (details above). If plant death from a soilborne pathogen resulted, this was factored into the rating. See Articles, Papers & Reports for further explanation in the reports.

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