Musa plant named ‘Little Prince’

Plants – Fruit – Plantain or banana

Plant Patent

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Plant Patent

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PP015255

ABSTRACT:

Genus: Musa.
Species:
acuminata.
Denomination: Little Prince.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of
Musa acuminata,
hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name, ‘Little Prince’.
The inventor owns a nursery in Raleigh, N.C., and has a special interest in sub-tropical plants that can been grown as landscape plants in the south-east region of the United States, including the genera
Musa
and
Canna.
The inventor is a commercial grower of
Musa
including the dwarf cultivars of
Musa acuminata
known as
Musa acuminata
‘Novak’ (unpatented),
Musa acuminata
‘Dwarf Cavendish’ (unpatented) and
Musa acuminata
‘Super Dwarf Cavendish’ (unpatented).
‘Little Prince’ was discovered in the inventor's nursery in Raleigh, N.C. as one plant in one cell within a cell tray of tissue culture stage III (rooted in growing medium) plants of
Musa acuminata
‘Dwarf Cavendish’ (unpatented). The inventor observed that the plant in this particular cell had four pseudostems (tightly wrapped leaf sheaves giving the appearance of a single stem or trunk) arising from a common piece of callous tissue. The inventor observed the entire set of plants from the cell tray including the plant with four pseudostems. After 3 months of further growth, the plant with four pseudostems failed to obtain the height common to the rest of the crop. The inventor transplanted into separate 1-gallon pots the entire set of plants in the cell tray. At six months after transplanting, the one plant with the four pseudostems was approximately 10 inches tall, whereas the rest of the plants, being grown under identical conditions, had achieved a height of approximately 5 feet. The inventor concluded that the said one plant, now named ‘Little Prince’, with its four pseudostems was a naturally occurring genetically mutated dwarf sport of the presumed parent
Musa acuminata
‘Dwarf Cavendish’. When compared with ‘Dwarf Cavendish’, ‘Little Prince’ remains short in successive seasons of growth whereas ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ continues to grow at a faster rate until reaching a mature height of approximately 8-10 feet, that is approximately six times the height of a mature, same age, plant of ‘Little Prince’.
In April 1996, the inventor first asexually propagated ‘Little Prince’ by division and separation of the pseudostems at the rhizomatous base. Upon establishment of each division, the inventor determined that ‘Little Prince’ had been reproduced true to type. The inventor commissioned a tissue culture laboratory in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., to commence multiplication in vitro of ‘Little Prince’ which has continued, both in vitro and in its subsequent growth, to remain stable and true to type in successive generations.
The inventor has observed that ‘Little Prince’ begins to exhibit unique characteristics of thicker and darker green leaves at approximately 4-5 months from deflasking. After a further period of approximately six months in growing medium (that is, 10-12 months after deflasking) the foliage of ‘Little Prince’ appears as a flattened rosette of leaves, at which stage the variety is approximately 10″-12″ tall, measured from the top of the growing medium. The comparison variety known as ‘Novak’ at this same stage exhibits leaves which are still unfurling, and are longer and without any crown formation. In second and subsequent growing years, the differences between ‘Little Prince’ and ‘Novak’ become yet more apparent as follows:
The leaves of ‘Little Prince’ will grow to no more than 14″-18″ in blade length; Novak grows to 24″-30″. The “trunk” of ‘Little Prince’ slows its extension and will grow typically to a height of 18 inches, and to no more than 24 inches; Novak will extend to a height typically of 40 inches to 48 inches, and sometimes taller. All parts of ‘Little Prince’ appear dwarfed in scale compared with other dwarf varieties of
Musa acuminata
known to the inventor.
The leaves of ‘Little Prince’ have been observed to be thicker making Little Prince a better houseplant. This same thickness renders the foliage of ‘Little Prince’ to be much more resistant to the wind shredding that is common to all bananas including Novak when used in the landscape.
‘Little Prince’ has never been observed to flower.
Indicative comparisons of final plant height of ‘Little Prince’ and of other dwarf varieties of
Musa acuminata
known to the inventor are as follows:
Cavendish
12-15
feet
Dwarf Cavendish
8-10
feet
Super Dwarf Cavendish
4-6
feet
Novak
3½-5
feet
Little Prince
1½-2½
feet
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and represent the distinguishing characteristics of the new
Musa
variety known as ‘Little Prince’. These traits in combination distinguish ‘Little Prince’ from all other existing varieties of
Musa
known to the inventor. ‘Little Prince’ has not been tested under all possible conditions and phenotypic differences may be observed with variations in environmental, climatic, and cultural conditions, however, without any variance in genotype.
1.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ is short in height, with a mature height of 24 to 30 inches.
2.
Musa
‘Little Price’ has not been observed to flower.
3.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ exhibits thicker leaves than other dwarf Musa.
4.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ exhibits darker green leaves than the species.
5.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ exhibits low light tolerance.
6.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ forms a crown rosette of leaves at a young age as opposed to extending the length of the two pseudostems as is typical of
Musa acuminata.
7.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ is approximately {fraction (1/16)}
th
the mature size of the parent plant.
8.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ exhibits a thicker trunk for its height, than other dwarf
Musa,
especially at its base.
9.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ exhibits a plant structure with leaves that appear to layer in a clockwise fashion, almost on top of each other.
10.
Musa
‘Little Prince’ is suitable as a container or landscape plant and as a decorative indoor plant.

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