We have two old prints to illustrate the differences between the Crozy Group and the Italian Group of Cannas. The prints date from the late 1800’s when these two groups were being created and perpetuated.
The two prints together illustrate the difference between the Crozy Group and the Italian Group that followed. The first print (C. ‘Antoine Crozy’) shows the narrower petals of the gladiolus-type French canna and the right (C. ‘Austria’) shows the so-called, orchid-type ‘Italian Job’, with petals (really staminodes) that are large, showy, crinkled edges and inclined to be a little floppy (flaccid), showing their descent from the USA species C. flaccida. In addition, the lip (labellum) is larger than the petals.
