Botanical designation:Dahlia hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BKDAGPR’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR/APPLICANT and 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 ofDahliaplant, botanically known asDahlia hybridaand hereinafter referred to by the name ‘BKDAGPR’.

The newDahliaplant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Maasdijk, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely branching containerDahliaplants with large inflorescences and attractive ray floret coloration.

The newDahliaplant originated from an open-pollination in September, 2014 in Maasdijk, The NetherlandsDahliasp. ‘Datretten’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,971, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection ofDahlia hybridaas the male, or pollen, parent. The newDahliaplant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Maasdijk, The Netherlands in September, 2015.

Asexual reproduction of the newDahliaplant by terminal cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Maasdijk, The Netherlands since March, 2016 has shown that the unique features of this newDahliaplant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the newDahliahave not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural conditions. 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 ‘BKDAGPR’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘BKDAGPR’ as a new and distinctDahliaplant:1. Upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and sturdy plant habit.2. Vigorous growth habit.3. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy growth habit.4. Dark green-colored leaves.5. Freely flowering habit.6. Large semi-double type inflorescences with reddish purple- colored ray florets.

Plants of the newDahliadiffer primarily from plants of the female parent, ‘Datretten’, in inflorescence type as plants of the newDahliahave semi-double type inflorescences whereas plants of ‘Datretten’ have decorative type inflorescences. In addition, ray florets of plants of the newDahliaare reddish purple in color whereas ray florets of plants of ‘Datretten’ are red and white in color.

Plants of the newDahliacan be compared to plants ofDahlia hybrida‘BKDAPR’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,278. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the newDahliadiffer from plants of ‘BKDAPR’ in the following characteristics:1. Plants of the newDahliaare more open and not as sturdy as plants of ‘BKDAPR’.2. Ray florets of plants of the newDahliaare reddish purple in color whereas ray florets of plants of ‘BKDAPR’ are dark red purple in color.

