Botanical designation:Impatiens hawkeri.

Cultivar denomination: ‘DONGIROLWHI’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR & APPLICANT/ASSIGNEE

The Inventor and Applicant/Assignee assert that no publications nor advertisements relating to sales, offers for sale or public distribution occurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application. Any information about the claimed plant would have been obtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from the Inventor and/or Applicant/Assignee. Inventor and Applicant/Assignee claim a prior art exception under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosure and/or sales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior to the effective filing date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of New GuineaImpatiensplant, botanically known asImpatiens hawkeriand hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Dongirolwhi’.

The newImpatiensplant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Koka, Ethiopia and Encinitas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely branching and early and freely flowering New GuineaImpatiensplants with large attractive flowers and good garden performance.

The newImpatiensplant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in November, 2017 in Koka, Ethiopia ofImpatiens hawkeri‘Rococo White 2017’, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent withImpatiens hawkeri‘Rococo Blanca’, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The newImpatiensplant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Encinitas, Calif. in April, 2018.

Asexual reproduction of the newImpatiensplant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Rheinberg, Germany since June, 2018 has shown that the unique features of this newImpatiensplant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the newImpatienshave not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylight and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Dongirolwhi’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Dongirolwhi’ as a new and distinctImpatiensplant:1. Relatively compact, upright to outwardly spreading and uniformly mounding plant habit.2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.3. Freely branching habit.4. Glossy and dark green-colored leaves.5. Freely flowering habit.6. Medium to large ruffled flowers that are bright white in color.7. Good garden performance.

Plants of the newImpatienscan be compared to plants of the female parent, ‘Rococo White 2017’. Plants of the newImpatiensdiffer primarily from plants of ‘Rococo White 2017’ in the following characteristics:1. Flowers of plants of the newImpatiensare more ruffled and undulating than flowers of plants of ‘Rococo White 2017’.2. Flowers of plants of the newImpatiensare bright white in color whereas flowers of plants of ‘Rococo White 2017’ are white in color slightly tinged with pink.

Plants of the newImpatienscan be compared to plants of the male parent, ‘Rococo Blanca’. Plants of the newImpatiensdiffer primarily from plants of ‘Rococo Blanca’ in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newImpatienshave larger flowers than plants of ‘Rococo Blanca’.2. Flowers of plants of the newImpatiensare more ruffled and undulating than flowers of plants of ‘Rococo Blanca’.3. Flowers of plants of the newImpatiensare brighter white in color than flowers of plants of ‘Rococo Blanca’.

Plants of the newImpatienscan be compared to plants ofImpatiens hawkeri‘Kironanete’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,753. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the newImpatiensdiffer primarily from plants of ‘Kironanete’ in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newImpatiensare more compact than plants of ‘Kironanete’.2. Flowers of plants of the newImpatiensare more ruffled than flowers of plants of ‘Kironanete’.3. Flowers of plants of the newImpatiensare bright white in color whereas flowers of plants of ‘Kironanete’ are dark cherry red in color.

Plants of the newImpatienscan also be compared to plants ofImpatiens hawkeri‘Moorea’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,147. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the newImpatiensdiffer primarily from plants of ‘Moorea’ in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newImpatienshave larger flowers than plants of ‘Moorea’.2. Flowers of plants of the newImpatiensare more ruffled and undulating than flowers of plants of ‘Moorea’.3. Flowers of plants of the newImpatiensare brighter white in color than flowers of plants of ‘Moorea’.

