Canna 'King Midas' in Crozy Group

The 1939 catalogue released by the Inter-State Nurseries of Hamburg, Iowa, USA. has some interesting information. The catalogue features 9 Cannas that year, including Canna 'King Midas''. Inter-State Nurseries were America's largest direct-to-you nurseries, or so they claimed in the catalogue.

The Cannas offered for sale were: Canna 'Apricot', C. 'Eureka', C. 'Hungaria', C. 'King Midas', C. 'Mme. Crozy', C. 'President', C. 'Statue of Liberty', C. 'Wintzer's Colossal', and C. 'Yellow King Humbert'.

What is immediately apparent from the photograph is that this is not an Italian Group cultivar, see how the labellum (lip) is smaller than the staminodes. The stamen is normal sized, and not as large as the Italian Group varieties. Also, there are no red spots in the throat. The whole red stamen and style are also unmistakeable. We, at Claines Canna, have a cultivar we imported from Turkey that is identical to this, and is called C. 'King of Gold'. That name is translated directly from the Turkish, and I believe means that we have the original C. 'King Midas'.

I have long suspected that what is currently being sold as Canna 'King Midas' was incorrectly named and it is pleasing to find such evidence. I can see no difference between the misnamed Italian Group specimen and Canna 'Austria', and it looks like another misnaming from the early 1980's in the USA.

In Greek mythology, Midas or King Midas (in Greek Μίδας) is popularly remembered for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold: the Midas touch. The picture above emphasizes the golden colour and it is obvious that if it had been a paler yellow, like the current misnamed Italian Group specimen, it would not have been given this name.

Canna 'Richard Wallace' is Crozy Group

Canna 'Richard Wallace' in 1964 Montgomery Ward catalogue

The 1964 Montgomery Ward Catalogue included 10 Canna cultivars. Amongst the offerings is Canna 'Richard Wallace' with a photograph clearly showing it as a Crozy Group cultivar. The description simply states "Canary-yellow blooms. Low growing."

What is generally being sold as C. 'Richard Wallace' is not low-growing, being at least 1 metre (3'3") tall. Moreover, examine the top photograph and it is immediately obvious that the labellum (lip) is narrower than the staminodes, and the stamen is small, compared with the Italian Group where the stamen is always very wide, and the labellum is much narrower than the staminodes. The definition of a Crozy Group cultivar.

What is on general sale as Canna 'Richard Wallace' is obviously an Italian Group cultivar, but which funnily enough matches exactly the description of Canna 'Austria', and is, like all that group, seed sterile. It has a labellum wider than the staminodes, and a very wide stamen. It is also seed sterile.

Catalogues from the venerable house of Wilhelm Pfitzer, the breeders of this cultivar, clearly state that Canna 'R. Wallace' was a Crozy Group cultivar.

Canna 'R. Wallace' was entered in the 1907 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) outdoor trials as a gladiolus-type (Crozy Group) and not an orchoides-type (Italian Group). That evidence is overwhelming, because the RHS do not make elementary mistakes, especially in the pedantic Victorian age. The entry in the year book simply states "Canna 'R. Wallace' — Gladiolus-flowered, pale yellow, faintly spotted with rose." That description matches exactly the specimen that we, at Claines Canna, purchased from the old and revered house of Suttons, who hold the Royal Warrant. That is a Crozy Group specimen, and is seed fertile. We still have it growing, although suffering with Canna virus and grown away from the main collection.

But it is not only at Suttons in the UK where the correct cultivar was being sold up until recently. Referring to the International Canna Group I noted a posting by Kent Kelly of Quality Gladiolus in the USA, dated Tue Aug 19, 2003 1:21 am, who stated that, "Our original Richard Wallace contained two types of look-alike cultivars. The flower was identical but one was an `assumed' triploid and produced no seed, and the other produced seed that may have been sterile (not sure – did not try to grow). Our planting stock originated from Sarver Nursery of California."

Probably, at one time Quality Gladiolus also had the real-thing growing there, as well as the incorrectly named Italian Group cultivar now in wide circulation.

Wikipedia Canna cultivar groups

Introducing Canna 'Charming'

New Introduction

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green and purple variegated foliage, large, oblong shaped, maroon margin, branching habit; flowers are open, gold with a deep-pink blush, staminodes are large, edges irregular, petals red, fully self-cleaning, outstanding bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white and purple; tillering is average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2008. The breeding is C. 'J.D. Cabos' x open.

This one has to be seen to be believed, the photograph was taken on 5th November 2007, it had been flowering continuously since June. It took us all our time to keep it fed, watered and groomed. Only grow this one if you are prepared to enter servitude for five months of continuous flowering!

Canna 'Amazement'

New introduction

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are cupped, self-coloured cadmium-orange, staminodes are medium size, edges serrated, petals red, fully self-cleaning, outstanding bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured pink and purple; tillering is prolific. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2008. The breeding is C. 'Admiral Aurellan' x C. 'Oberon'.
The picture above was taken on the 6th November 2007, this one never stops flowering!

Canna 'Dessert'

New introduction

A small Crozy Group cultivar; dark green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; flowers are open, apricot and pale yellow, staminodes are large, edges frilled, stamen is yellow, style is yellow, petals yellow, fully self-cleaning, average bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white; tillering is average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2007. Breeding is Canna 'Topaz' x C. 'Ella Dalebö'

Canna 'Droitwich'

New introduction

A small Crozy Group cultivar; dark green foliage, oblong shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are open, cardinal-red with a gold margin, throat gold with orange-red spots, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, petals yellow, fully self-cleaning, outstanding bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured pink and purple; tillering is average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2007. Breeding Canna 'Mandy Robinson' x C. 'Tangerine'

Canna 'Showman'

New introduction

A small Crozy Group cultivar; dark green foliage, oval shaped, branching habit; flowers are open, cardinal-red and canary-yellow, throat canary-yellow, staminodes are large, edges irregular, stamen is sulphur-yellow with cardinal-red spots, style is canary-yellow, petals red, fully self-cleaning, average bloomer; 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 average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2007. Breeding Canna 'Karla Dalebö' x open.