Botanical designation:Echinacea hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘IFECSSWP’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR & APPLICANT/ASSIGNEE

An European Community Plant Breeder's Rights application for the instant plant was filed by the Applicant/Assignee, Innoflora Plant Breeding B.V. of Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands on Nov. 6, 2020, application number 2020/2810. Foreign priority is not claimed to this application.

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 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 ofEchinaceaplant, botanically known asEchinacea hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘IFECSSWP’.

The newEchinaceaplant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new vigorous and freely floweringEchinaceaplants with large inflorescences with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The newEchinaceaplant originated from a cross-pollination in July, 2017 in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection ofEchinacea hybridaidentified as code number 009-15-K010-04, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection ofEchinacea hybridaidentified as code number 009-15-K010-02, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The newEchinaceaplant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands in August, 2018.

Asexual reproduction of the newEchinaceaplant by in vitro meristem culture in a controlled environment in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands since September, 2018 has shown that the unique features of this newEchinaceaplant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the newEchinaceahave 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 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 ‘IFECSSWP’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘IFECSSWP’ as a new and distinctEchinaceaplant:1. Upright and relatively compact plant habit.2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.3. Freely branching habit.4. Strong flowering stems.5. Numerous and large single-type inflorescences with four whorls of white-colored ray florets and greenish yellow-colored receptacle spines.6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the newEchinaceacan be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the newEchinaceadiffer primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newEchinaceaare more compact than plants of the female parent selection.2. Inflorescences of plants of the newEchinaceahave more whorls of ray florets than inflorescences of plants of the female parent selection.3. Plants of the newEchinaceaand the female parent selection differ in ray floret color as plants of the newEchinaceahave white-colored ray florets whereas plants of the female parent selection have light yellow-colored ray florets.

Plants of the newEchinaceacan be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the newEchinaceadiffer primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newEchinaceaare taller than plants of the male parent selection.2. Inflorescences of plants of the newEchinaceahave more whorls of ray florets than inflorescences of plants of the male parent selection.3. Plants of the newEchinaceaand the male parent selection differ in ray floret color as plants of the newEchinaceahave white-colored ray florets whereas plants of the male parent selection have light yellow-colored ray florets.

Plants of the newEchinaceacan be compared to plants ofEchinacea purpurea‘Virgin’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,684. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the newEchinaceadiffer primarily from plants of ‘Virgin’ in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newEchinaceaare more compact than plants of ‘Virgin’.2. Inflorescences of plants of the newEchinaceahave more whorls of ray florets than inflorescences of plants of ‘Virgin’.

Plants of the newEchinaceacan also be compared to plants ofEchinacea hybrida‘Meditation White’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,015. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the newEchinaceadiffer primarily from plants of ‘Meditation White’ in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newEchinaceahave larger leaves than plants of ‘Meditation White’.2. Inflorescences of plants of the newEchinaceahave more whorls of ray florets than inflorescences of plants of ‘Meditation White’.

