Tropical™ Series is a dwarf Canna series from seed so it is not prone to diseases transmitted in rhizome production. Heavily branching plants bloom in approximately 90 days from sowing with continuous flowering. Tropical Rose is an AAS award winner.
Plants are 24 to 30 inches (60 to 75 centimeters) in height, and in suitable conditions can flower in less than 90 days from planting the seed.
The Tropical Series consists of:
- Tropical Bronze Scarlet
- Tropical Red
- Tropical Rose (AAS)
- Tropical Salmon
- Tropical White
- Tropical Yellow
Several urban myths have built up around the Tropical Series, firstly stating that they are self-pollinating and true to type, like a wild species, but the fact is that their reproductive organs are no different from the rest of the Crozy Groupm, on which they are based, and are neither self-pollinating or true to type.
Secondly, there is a belief that Canna specific viruses cannot be transmitted by seed, but experience has shown that there have been exceptions, and it is probably more correct to state that the chances of virus transmission by seed are marginal. [ed. Sensible roguing of seedlings is probably all that is required here.]
Breeding
There is a separate article on line-breeding, to which we refer, but briefly the possible process followed for a seed-generated series is to produce F1 and then possibly a F2 generations that match your breeding goals. Line-breeding would establish the small height and the undoubted vigour present in this series, and ensure that the desired attributes are dominant genetically. Then it is all down to the growing process.
Growing
The ongoing process is growing them in relative isolation from other cannas, so that pollen from different coloured plants is not imported to the growing/flowering field. By rigorous roguing (destroying) of any throwback plants that exhibit features from ancestors, i.e. flower and foliage colour, height and foliage shape the purity of the cultivar-type can be maintained..