plant named ‘Little Bo Peep’

Botanical denomination:hybrid.

Variety designation: ‘Little Bo Peep’.

The Applicant asserts that no publications or advertisements relating to sales, offers for sale, or public distribution occurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application. The first offer for sale was by Walters Gardens, Inc. on Nov. 13, 2024, to Garden State Growers. Walters Gardens, Inc. obtained the new plant and all information about the new plant directly from the inventor. Any information or disclosure about the claimed plant less than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application would have been obtained from directly or indirectly from the Inventor and would be a 35 U.S.C. 102(b) exception.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Barrenwort plant from the genusand given the cultivar name ‘Little Bo Peep’. The new plant was the result of a single seedling selection from a cross on Apr. 20, 2016, by the inventor between a proprietary selection ofknown as D-29 (not patented) as the female or seed parent andX‘Be My Valentine’ (not patented) as the male or pollen parent. The seeds were collected in May of 2016. The individually selected seedling was eventually given the breeder code 16-84-2 after being first isolated from trials at a nursery in Zeeland, MI in April of 2018. It was selected for the final introduction in April of 2020.

‘Little Bo Peep’ has been asexually propagated at the same nursery in Zeeland, MI by division of the rhizome in 2018 and found to reproduce plants that are identical and exhibit all the characteristics of the original plant in successive generations of asexual propagation.

‘Little Bo Peep’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype.

In comparison to the new plant, the female parent has smaller flowers spaced further apart, narrower sepals, and lighter pinkish-lavender spurs and more lanceolate foliage that is more bronze. The male parent has flower spurs that are a lighter pinkish color and deeper cherry red sepals.

The nearest comparison varieties known to the inventor are: ‘Dark Beauty’ (not patented), ‘Pink Champagne’ (not patented), ‘Pink Parasol’ (not patented), ‘Pretty in Pink’ (not patented).

‘Dark Beauty’ has flowers with pale pink spurs and dark rose sepals. ‘Pink Champagne’ has a larger habit in both height and width, longer lanceolate foliage with larger marginal teeth, and has larger flowers that have deeper raspberry-colored spurs and longer sepals. ‘Pink Parasol’ has a much larger habit and flowers with a dark rose spurs and medium pink sepals. ‘Pretty in Pink’ has a slightly taller habit and narrower sepals that are positioned further apart on the inflorescence.

‘Little Bo Peep’ is distinct from the parents and all otherknown to the inventor in the following combined traits:

The following is a detailed description of the newcultivar ‘Little Bo Peep’ based on observations of a two-year-old specimen grown in a shaded greenhouse in Zeeland, Michigan with supplemental watering and fertilizer as needed. Color descriptions are from the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used.