Trailing growth habit in impatiens

Abstract

The instant invention relates to an Impatiens plant having a trailing growth habit during its vegetative and generative growth phase. The invention particularly relates to such plants belonging to the African group of ornamental Impatiens . The invention further relates to pollen, seed and sexual as well as asexual progeny of such plants, to methods for obtaining Impatiens plants with a trailing growth habit, to methods for propagating said plants and to uses of said plants.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method of introgressing a trailing growth habit into a plant of the species  Impatiens walleriana  comprising the steps of
 a) generating a cross between  Impatiens usambarensis×walleriana  and  I. walleriana;      b) rescuing a viable embryo resulting from the cross of step a);   c) regenerating the rescued embryo of step b) into a plant;   d) backcrossing said regenerated plant or a sexual or asexual progeny of said plant with  Impatiens walleriana , wherein this step may optionally be repeated at least once;   e) selecting a plant having a trailing growth habit from the plants obtained by backcrossing in step d) or from sexual or asexual progeny of such plants.   
     
     
         15 . A method of selecting trailing  Impatiens walleriana  plants according to claim  1  comprising the steps of
 a) growing back crossed  Impatiens walleriana  plants obtained in step d) of the method of  claim 14  or sexual or asexual progeny thereof in rows in a field, wherein the distance between the rows is at least 80 cm; and   b) selecting an individual plant or a group of plants which is capable of covering the free area between the rows significantly faster than the average of all plants grown in step a).   
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 14 , wherein the selection is accomplished by the method of  claim 15 . 
     
     
         17 . An  Impatiens walleriana  plant having a trailing growth habit obtainable by a method according to  claim 14 . 
     
     
         18 - 24 . (canceled)