Revisiting Canna 'Bengal Tiger'

A medium sized Italian Group cultivar; variegated green and yellow foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, spreading habit; oval stems, coloured green; panicles of flowers are open, orange and red-orange, staminodes are large, edges ruffled, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning, average bloomer; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are long and thin, coloured white; tillering is average.

Originated at the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of India, Bengal in the 1950's. It was later taken to South Africa, by Sydney Percy-Lancaster, the Secretary of the Society, when he retired there, hence the synonym of 'Pretoria' when it was 'found' growing there in the late 1960's. Also imported to the USA from India in 1963 by Glasshouse Works. Finally, the name 'Striata' adopted by the RHS is invalid, as that name belongs to a cultivar described in Subtropical Gardening - Robinson 1868, and which is still grown in Europe.

Awards: 2002, 'Award of Garden Merit' (AGM) in the outdoor trials held at RHS Wisley, under the synonym of C. 'Striata'

Synonyms: C. 'African Yellow', C. 'americanallis var. variegata', C. 'aureo-striata', C. 'Damascus Road', C. 'Imperialis', C. 'Kapit', C. 'malaweiensis variegata', C. 'Malaweinses', C. 'malawiensis variegata', C. 'Pallida Variegata', C. 'Panach', C. 'Panaché [France]', C. 'Praetoria', C. 'Pretoria', C. 'Pretoria Dwarf', C. 'Striata (2)', C. 'Striatum', C. 'Striped Wonder', C. 'Tropicanna Gold', C. 'Zebra Summer', C. 'Zebra Sunset'