The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Abelia of hybrid origin and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘ABENOV41’. ‘ABENOV41’ represents a new Abelia, a shrub grown for landscape use.
The new cultivar is the result of a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Angers-Beaucouzé, France. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new cultivars of Abelia twith increased cold hardiness and unique flower colors and plant habits.
The new cultivar arose from a cross made by the Inventor in June of 2004 between Abelia schumannii ‘Bumblebee’ (not patented) as the female parent and Abelia×grandiflora ‘Semperflorus’ (not patented) as the male parent. The Inventor selected ‘ABENOV41’ as a single unique plant amongst the seedlings that resulted from the above cross in 2006.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by softwood stem cuttings by the Inventor in Angers-Beaucouzé, France in September of 2006. Asexual propagation by softwood stem cuttings has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.