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Cultivar

Achira Dark

Canna ‘Achira Dark’
(Agriculture Group)

HEIGHT Tall, 2-3 metres
FOLIAGE Bronze
FORM Spreading
FLOWER Red

A tall Agriculture Group cultivar; bronze foliage, large, oval shaped, maroon margin, spreading habit; triangular stems, coloured purple; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured red-orange, staminodes are long and narrow, edges regular, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, self-pollinating and also true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 7 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is prolific.

This variety has bronze leaves with pronounced ribs, which make an elegant champagne flute shape as the leaves unravel and flatten out. All canna do this, but I believe that none do it as elegantly. My young grandchildren used to call them ‘fairy glasses’. It is late flowering, producing orange/crimson blooms in late summer/early autumn.

Impressive in size, stately plants that grow to about 2 metres tall with their leaves evenly spread out on the stem giving it a very neat, orderly appearance. This bronze leaf form of Achira has orange/crimson flowers.

Introduced to England from Peru in 1820. Originally thought to be a species in its own right, this is not accepted by modern botanists who consider it to be a Canna discolor variety or a sub-species of indica, depending upon which taxonomist you talk to. It is found along the coast of South America, the West Indies and in temperate valleys of the Andes, usually at the edges of moist thickets or in ditches.

 

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Uncategorised

Achira Green

Canna ‘Achira Green’

syn. Inca Arrowroot
(Agriculture Group)

HEIGHT Tall, 2-3 metres
FOLIAGE Green and purple variegated
FORM Branching
FLOWER Red
FLOWERING Good bloomer

Canna ‘Achira Green’ is a tall Agriculture Group cultivar; green foliage, large, oval shaped, sometimes maroon margin, branching habit; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured red, staminodes are long and narrow, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are thick, up to 7 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is prolific.

Canna ‘Achira Green’ Thor Dalebö.

Our earliest reference to this specimen is RHS Journal of 1847.

Cultivar

Alt Württemberg

Canna ‘Alt Württemberg’
(Premier Group)

ORIGIN Pfitzer, 1949
HEIGHT Tall, 2-3 metres
FOLIAGE Dark
FORM Arching
FLOWER Red
FLOWERING Exceptional bloomer

Canna Alt Württemberg is a tall Premier Group cultivar; dark foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, arching habit; oval stems, coloured purple; flowers are open, self-coloured orange-red, staminodes are large, edges regular, petals red with farina, fully self-cleaning, exceptional bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is slow.

Our earliest reference to this specimen is Hart Canna, 2000, Internet October 2000.

Cultivar

America

Canna ‘America’
(Italian Group)

ORIGIN SPRENGER Karl
PARENTAGE ‘President Carnot’ x flaccida ‘Le Roi’ in 1893.
HEIGHT Tall, 2-3 metres
FOLIAGE Bronze
FLOWER Red
FLOWERING Good bloomer

Canna ‘America’ is a tall Italian Group cultivar; bronze foliage; oval stems, coloured purple; flowers are open, orient-red (RHS 42A) with salmon spots, throat yellow, staminodes are large, good bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter.

This showy Italian Group cultivar was granted the RHS Award of Merit in 1897, and mention must be made of the outstanding farina ‘sheen’ on the stems and leaves.

Canna 'America'
Canna 'America'
Photograph courtesy of Ian Cooke.

 

RHS Award of Merit(Dammann 1897)
Breeder: Karl Sprenger, Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy
Garden & Forest, 1897
Garden and forest. / Volume 10, Issue 480. [May 5, 1897, 171-180] Canna, America.-We have just had this Canna in flower, the third in Dammann’s list of so-called “Orchid-flowering” Cannas. It has been something of a surprise to us, for in some way we had formed the notion that it was inferior to Italia and Austria. In our present opinion, however, it ranks above both. The foliage seems to be stronger and tougher, and is of a color much harder to get in Cannas. It is dark bronzy-red, with irregular and inconspicuous dashes of lighter greenish color. The flowering-stem is tall and strong, bearing a large spike of flowers of the form and size of Italia.
They are, however, of a most rare and striking color, a sort of brilliant apricot-red faintly spotted with darker salmon. The centre is canary-yellow, marked with the apricot-red of the body color, very much after the pattern of Austria and Burbank, except that in America the centre is lighter-colored than the wings. The blossoms are richer in appearance than any of the earlier Orchid-flowering Cannas. They do not appear to be better in substance, though; and this seems likely to prevent the general use of all the Canna flacida crosses in outdoor bedding. If it were not for this flabby quality of their blossoms they would soon very largely supersede the French dwarf Cannas for all classes of ornamental work.
University of Vermont. Professor F. A. Waugh.

Breeder: Karl Sprenger, Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy

RHS Journal of 1898-9
Lists
Railton & Co., Australia, 1900-1903
Magnificent bronzy foliage marbled with green, having a peculiar lustre , appearing as if varnished; flowers rich orange-salmon, feathered and veined with scarlet. 1/6 each.
RHS Journal of 1908-9!
Featured in 1908 Outdoor Trials at Wisley
Orchid flowered, orange-red flowers with dark foliage.
Das Geschlecht der Canna, by Árpád Mühle
America. (Dam.) height of 200 cm. Leaves brown magenta roth. Flowers, very largely, fires roth, magenta-brown flamed, in the Centrum orange.
Breeder: Karl Sprenger, Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy, EU
Note: America. (Dam.) Höhe 200 cm. Laub braun purpur roth. Blumen, sehr groß, feuer roth, purpurbraun geflammt, im Centrum orangefarben.
Cassells Dictionary of Practical Gardening, Walter P. Wright, 1910
Italian, or Orchid-like scarlet, orange, dark foliage.
L. Clause Catalogue, Spring 1929
America. – Feuillage verdâtre à reflets pourpres. Fleur énorme rouge feu sablé de pourpre orangé à l’intérieur. Haut. 1 m. 50.
Greenish foliage with reflections of crimson. Enormous flame red flower with orange crimson inside. Height. 1 m. 50.
John Telkamp, Holland, Catalogue 1935
America, velvety scarlet red flowers, handsome purple foliage.
Standardized Plant Names, 1942
Mentions name
RHS New Dictionary of Gardening, 1992
Lvs dark copper purple; fls red.
Hart Canna, 2000, Internet October 2000
Flowers red. Leaves bronze. Tall
Canna Handbook, Keith Hayward. Edition 1.06. © September 2000
Red-flowered with green leaves. Tall.
Ian Cooke, The Gardeners Guide to Growing Cannas
(M) Sprenger, a partner in the nursery of Messrs Dammann near Naples, crossed C. flaccida with C. ‘Madame Crozy’ to produce C. ‘Italia’. ‘Atlanta’, ‘America’, ‘Austria’, ‘Burgundia’, ‘Allemannia’, ‘Britannia’ followed from the same breeding programme.
Breeder: Karl Sprenger, Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy
Ian Cooke, The Gardeners Guide to Growing Cannas
(M) This handsome old cultivar has intense scarlet flowers. The petals are long, thin and reflexed giving the bloom a very open, blowsy appearance. The leaves are a dark purplish-green with pronounced darker veins. There is an attractive white farina on the stems, which contrasts well with the deep red flowers. Raised by Karl Sprenger in 1893, it is very similar to ‘Black Knight’ and ‘Ambassador
Breeder: Karl Sprenger, Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy
Rivendell Botanic Garden, List January 2001
Red; red blue green
French Grown Stock
1.8m. Purple foliage. Dark orange-red flowers.
Podgora Gardens Catalogue, 2004
Brightest and deepest scarlet-red, bronze foliage. 105cm.
KAVB International Canna Checklist, September 2004
(‘President Carnot’ x flaccida ‘Le Roi’)
Karl Sprenger, 1893; flowers orient-red (RHS 42A), brown leaves, height over 80 cm. A.M.-R.H.S 1897.
Breeder: Karl Sprenger, Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy
Claines Canna Collection 2006
Summary: A heritage plant, tall in height with large, dark leaves and intense scarlet flowers. An architectural plant.
Size: Tall
Flower: Intense scarlet flowers, with long petals, thin and reflexed giving the bloom a very open, blowsy appearance.
Foliage: Large, dark purplish green with pronounced purple veins. There is an attractive white farina on the stems, which contrasts well with the deep red flowers.
Origin: Raised by Karl Sprenger in 1893, it is very similar to ‘Black Knight’ and ‘Ambassador’. We have grown all 3 together for 2 years from many sources and can see no visible differences. The other two have no history of their origins, and it is highly likely that they are only synonyms for Canna ‘America’
Cultivar

American Flag

Canna ‘American Flag’
(Italian Group)

ORIGIN Wintzer, 1902
HEIGHT Tall, 2-3 metres
FOLIAGE Green
FORM Upright
FLOWER Red
FLOWERING Good bloomer

Canna ‘American Flag’  is a tall Italian Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, upright habit; oval stems, coloured purple; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured orange-red, throat yellow, staminodes are large, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are long and thin, coloured white and pink; tillering is average.

REFERENCES
Standardized Plant Names, 1942
The name is listed.
Canna Handbook, Keith Hayward. Edition 1.06. © September 2000
A very tall Canna (over 2m) with large bright orange/red flowers with some yellow in the centre. Foliage is bright green.
Claines Canna Collection 2006
Medium sized, stunning deep red Italian style flowers held high above large green leaves with distinctive purple stems and leaf margins.
Size: Medium
Flower: Deep red (44B) large, Italian style blooms.
Foliage: Green with Purple leaf margins and stems.
Cultivar

Amundsen

Canna ‘Amundsen’
(Crozy Group)

HEIGHT Tall, 2-3 metres
FOLIAGE Green
FORM Spreading
AWARDS AGM at RHS Canna Trial 2002. 

Canna ‘Amundsen’ is a tall Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, spreading habit; flowers are open, self-coloured scarlet, staminodes are large, edges irregular, petals red, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, not known if true to type, not self-pollinating.

Royal Horticultural Society, England - Canna Trial 2002.
Described as being like C. ‘President’, but bigger.
Cultivar

Annei

Canna ‘Annei’
syns. glauca var. annaei Petersen, Omega
(Foliage Group)(Aquatic Group)

ORIGIN , ANNÉE Théodore, 1848
PARENTAGE Canna indica var. indica L. x glauca var. glauca L.
HEIGHT Tall, 2-3 metres
FOLIAGE Glaucous green
FORM Upright
FLOWER Pink
FLOWERING Late bloomer
AWARDS AGM 2002

Canna ‘Annei’ is a tall aquatic Foliage Group cultivar, equally at home as a water marginal or in the border; glaucous green foliage, oval-acuminate shaped, upright habit; round stems, coloured green; flowers are erect, self-coloured salmon, staminodes are medium size, edges regular, petals red, late bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; seed is sterile, pollen is fertile; tillering is prolific.

It is a very tall foliage plant, growing up to 300cm (9’9″), and topped by interesting small flowers that start in August and continue through to the first frosts. There are few plants with more architectural significance than a well-grown specimen of C. Annei in a prominent position.

This is the world’s first Canna hybrid, introduced in 1848. Winner of Royal Horticultural Societies ‘Award of Garden Merit’ (AGM) at the 2002 Wisley outdoor trials, 154 years later.

The earliest known book devoted to Canna is “Le Canna” by M. Chaté and Sons, 1866, which provides us with the correct spelling of this cultivars name.