ORIGIN , ANNÉE Théodore, 1848 PARENTAGE Cannaindica 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.
ORIGIN ANNÉE Théodore, 1864 HEIGHT Medium 1-2 metres FOLIAGE Bronze FORM Branching
Canna ‘Atropurpurea’ is a small Foliage Group cultivar; bronze foliage, small, oval shaped, branching habit; round stems, coloured reddish; flowers are erect, self-coloured red-orange, staminodes are large, edges regular, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules round; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is average.
Stems very small and downy, of a reddish hue, and not exceeding 3½ ft. in height. Leaves small, recurved, of an almost black colour. Flowers rather large, of a reddish golden-brown. Rootstocks small, cylindrical, closely crowded around the plant. This variety seeds well and freely.
Canna ‘Iridiflora Rubra’ is a medium sized cultivar; green and purple variegated foliage, large, ovoid shaped, maroon margin, branching habit; oval main stems, coloured purple; triangular flower stems, coloured purple; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured orange-purple, staminodes are long and narrow, edges regular, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning, outstanding bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules round; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is average.
Stems brown, 3¼ ft. to nearly 5 ft. high. Leaves deep green shaded with dark red, and with a narrow dark purplish-red margin. Flowers large, purplish-red. This variety is not so tender as the preceding one.
OriginANNÉE Théodore HeightGiant FoliageGreen FormSpreading FlowerRed-orange BloomingAverage bloomer TilleringProlific AwardsAward of Garden Merit (AGM) at RHS Canna Trials, 2002 as C. ‘Musifolia’
Canna ‘Musafolia Hybrida’ is a giant cultivar; green foliage, very large, broadly oblong shaped, maroon margin, spreading habit; oval main stems, coloured green; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured salmon-red, staminodes are long and narrow, edges regular, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning, average bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules round; rhizomes are tuber-like groups, coloured purple; tillering is prolific.
Canna ‘Musafolia Rubra’ is a tall cultivar; dark green foliage, very large, broadly oblong shaped, maroon margin, spreading habit; oval main stems, coloured green; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured salmon-red, staminodes are small, edges regular, style is red, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning, outstanding bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules round; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is prolific.
Stems dark red, 6½ ft. high. Leaves dark purple-red, oval, very large. Flowers small, salmon-red. Rootstocks very tender, with fibrous roots. Neglected as too tender and not sufficiently distinct from several other varieties, such as C. Chatei-grandis, etc.
Canna ‘Prémices de Nice’ is a medium sized Foliage Group cultivar; green foliage, oval-acuminate shaped, white margin, upright habit; round main stems, coloured green; spikes of flowers are open, yellow speckled with salmon, staminodes are long and narrow, fully self-cleaning, average bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are long and thin, coloured white; tillering is average.
This is the last known cultivar released by Théodore Anée, and is still being grown in France.
Stems and leaves like those of C. Annei, 3¼ ft, to 5 ft. high, Flowers very large, bright yellow, sometimes dotted with salmon-colour. Rootstocks conical and cylindrical, rather shorter than those of C. Annei. A very free-flowering and hardy variety.
Canna ‘Rubra Perfecta’ is a medium sized Foliage Group cultivar; dark green and red variegated foliage, ovoid shaped, maroon margin, branching habit; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured orange-red, staminodes are long and narrow, labellum is orange-red, stamen is orange-red, style is red, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 7 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is prolific.
Stems dark-red, from 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high. Leaves dark-red, rayed with purple. Flowers of medium size, orange-red. Rootstocks dark-red, conical. Seeds freely.
Canna ‘Rubra Superbissima’ is a tall Foliage Group cultivar; green and purple variegated foliage, oblong-obtuse shaped, transparent margin, spreading habit; oval main stems, coloured purple; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured orange-red, staminodes are long and narrow, edges regular, fully self-cleaning, low bloomer, blooms open in the early morning; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules globose; rhizomes are large tuber-like groups, coloured purple; tillering is prolific.
Stems dark purple-red, very thick, from nearly 6 ft. to 6½ ft. high. Leaves broad, round, purplish-red, with a metallic lustre. Flowers of medium size, light orange-red. Rootstocks brownish, very thick, conical, crowded together. One of the finest metallic-red-leaved Cannas.
Thompson's Gardener's Assistant, Edited by Thomas Moore, 1892
5 to 6 feet in height; leaves very broad, of a rich purplish red colour, with a metallic lustre in the sun. This is a free grower, and one of the best of the red-leaved kinds.
Théodore Année, a wealthy, retired French diplomatic consul in South America, returned to France in the 1840’s and settled in Rue des Réservoirs, Passy, Paris, where he devoted himself to the culture of tropical plants from South America, having brought back with him the taste for plants with beautiful foliage, especially the Canna genus.
Rue des Réservoirs, Paris in 1906
At that time in Europe, Canna species were confined to botanical gardens, cultivated in greenhouses, and their custodians hardly dared to expose them to the open air, because of their tropical and sub-tropical origins.
It was in 1846, that Année, who had brought back from South America a collection of Canna species, trialed a solid mass of Canna in open ground. The two species which he trialed were Cannaindica var, and C. glauca, (aka C. nepalansis). The manner in which they flourished under the northern temperate climate of Passy exceeded his expectations. They flowered abundantly, which allowed him to try the first artificial insemination made on the Canna genus. He applied pollen from C. glauca on to C. indica; and it is the offspring of this crossing that first flowered for Année in 1848. The resulting F1 hybrid was called Canna ‘Annei’.
Monsieur Année then spent the next six years bulking-up the new hybrid until he was ready to introduce it to an amazed Parisian public. The popularity of the plant was such that it was stated that 20,000 tufts of Canna ‘Annei’ were used in displays in Paris in 1861.
Monsieur Année was rapidly joined by many other enthusiasts and professional horticulturists as Canna hybrids enjoyed rapid popularity in France, and later the rest of Europe and North America. Amongst the professionals was the rose breeder Monsieur Pierre-Antoine-Marie Crozy of Avoux & Crozy, La Guillotière, Lyon, France, who first started hybridizing Cannas in 1862, and who went on to become the greatest of all Canna hybridists.
Monsieur Chaté, the author of Le Canna, stated of Année that he was, “A happy, skilful hybridiser, he operated on a great scale and thus became the creator of all the most beautiful varieties of the floral trade.
All the amateur gardeners and horticulturists who occupied themselves with foliage plants visited his garden, which he filled up each year with seedlings of Canna. We [ed. the nursery company of Chaté et fils] owe him the majority of our successes. It is thanks to his councils and his friendship that we delivered to the trade so great a number of Canna innovations, and which enabled us to write this work.”
Monsieur Année went on to spend the next 20 years creating many more cultivars, several of which have lived on, until retiring to Nice in Southern France in 1866. Fittingly, his last Canna cultivar was named Canna ‘Prémices de Nice’.
A DISCUSSION ON ALL MATTERS RELATING TO THE CANNACEAE FAMILY; OF INTEREST TO GARDENERS, COLLECTORS, AND PROFESSIONALS ALIKE.
Canna ‘Annei’
