Dwarf Ilex vomitoria Cultivar with Profuse Berry Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cultivars of Ilex vomitoria lack a compact, female form that produces profuse bright red berries, limiting their commercial potential and ornamental value.
Innovation Solution
A new cultivar, 'CAROLINA RUBY', is developed, which is a dwarf, female form of Ilex vomitoria that grows to a height of 1 meter, produces abundant bright red berries, and requires a male pollinator for fruiting, utilizing semi-hardwood cuttings for stable asexual reproduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If typical Ilex vomitoria cultivars are grown, then they achieve normal growth rate and size, but they do not produce profuse berry sets and lack compact form
Solution Approach 1:
The patent describes a mutant plant with altered growth parameters - specifically, a dwarf form that produces berries profusely on two-and-three-year-old wood, whereas typical Ilex vomitoria does not bear fruit on such old wood. This represents a parameter change in both growth rate and fruiting behavior
Solution Approach 2:
The invention propagates the desired dwarf, berry-producing phenotype through asexual reproduction methods (cuttings, layering, grafting) to create true-to-type copies of the mutant plant, ensuring stable inheritance of the unusual characteristics
2Quantity of substance
If Ilex vomitoria is grown for ornamental purposes, then it provides evergreen foliage, but it lacks profuse bright red berry production for commercial potential
Solution Approach 1:
The patent emphasizes asexual reproduction through cuttings, layering, and grafting to create true-to-type copies of the dwarf mutant, ensuring stable propagation of the unusual berry-producing characteristics without genetic variation
Solution Approach 2:
The plant exhibits self-sustaining berry production on older wood (two-and-three-year-old stems), reducing the need for continuous pruning or maintenance to achieve fruiting, as the plant naturally bears fruit on aging stems
3Shape
If typical Ilex vomitoria growth patterns are maintained, then plants reach 4-5 meters height, but they do not exhibit compact dwarf form with enclosed stems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent describes a fundamental parameter change in growth rate and final size - the mutant plant is a dwarf form that remains significantly smaller than typical Ilex vomitoria, creating a compact shrub form suitable for different ornamental applications
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates asymmetry in the expected growth pattern of Ilex vomitoria by producing a dwarf variant that breaks from the species' typical 4-5 meter height, offering a contrasting form factor for landscape design
Data Source
AI summary
A new female cultivar of Ilex vomitoria named ‘CAROLINA RUBY’ that is characterized by its dwarf stature and compact habit and its prolific and abundant fruiting when pollinated by an appropriate male form of the species. In combination these traits set ‘CAROLINA RUBY’ apart from all other existing varieties of Ilex vomitoria known to the inventor.