White Wings

Astilbe

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Hennie Graafland'

Summary: 'White Wings' produces a smaller plant than 'Hennie Graafland'. 'White Wings' has a medium green leaf colour while 'Hennie Graafland has a dark green leaf colour. The peduncle and flower length in 'White Wings' is shorter than in 'Hennie Graafland'. 'White Wings' has a white flower colour while 'Hennie Graafland' has a pink flower colour.

Description:

'White Wings' is a vegetatively propagated perennial that has an upright-bushy growth habit with sparse branching. The leaves are alternate in arrangement and biternate. The leaves are elliptic to ovate in shape with an acute to acuminate shaped apex and attenuate shaped base. The leaflet margins are serrate and there is very sparse pubescence on the upper and lower side of the leaf blade. The leaves have very weak to weak glaucosity and are medium green in colour on both the upper and lower side of the leaf blade. There is no leaf variegation. The petiole has weak anthocyanin colouration.

'White Wings' flowers mid-season and has a short length of flowering. The peduncle has weak anthocyanin colouration and very sparse to sparse pubescence. The inflorescence type is a panicle which is terminal in position and erect in attitude. The flowers are white in colour.

Origin & Breeding History: 'White Wings' originated from a controlled cross between 'Hennie Graafland' as the seed parent and 'Weisse Gloria' as the pollen parent. The initial cross was made in Noorden, The Netherlands in 1991. The objective of the breeding program was to create a new variety with improved flower colour, attractive foliage and compact growth habit.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'White Wings' were conducted at Oxford Station, Ontario in the summer of 2001. The trials consisted of ten plants per variety grown under field conditions. Plants were spaced 0.40 metres within the row and rows were spaced 1.0 metre apart.

Comparison tables for 'White Wings' with reference variety 'Hennie Graafland'

Plant height (cm)

Inflorescence length (cm)

Peduncle length (cm)

Colour of inflorescence