Canna 'Madame Butterfly'

A medium sized Premier Group cultivar; dark green foliage, oblong shaped, green margin, branching habit; panicles of flowers are cupped, ivory and pale pink, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, 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 and pink; tillering is slow.

Supposedly introduced by Howard and Smith Nursery, California, USA in 1930's, but no documentary evidence to support this nursery-man assertion. It was claimed to be a member of the Grand Opera Series, originally developed by Howard and Smith. Wayside Gardens reputedly later purchased the series and added their own 'Rosenkavalier'. All cultivars in the series have large flowers in pastel shades, green foliage and are quite tall.

However, the series also contains some Italian Group cultivars and they don't happen easily or accidentally, and are out of sync with the other Crozy Group cultivars in this series. They also bear a remarkable resemblance to cultivars that were developed many years before this series was supposedly developed. Suffice to say that I suspect that this was a marketing exercise by Wayside Gardens to repackage older varieties.

Canna 'Aida'

A medium sized Premier Group cultivar; green foliage; flowers are old-rose tinged with salmon, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, stamen is marked with gold, good bloomer; fertile both ways, not known if true to type, not self-pollinating; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white; tillering is average. 

One of the Opera series of Canna bred by Howard and Smith Nursery of Los Angeles, USA in the 1930's. This series were added to by Wayside Gardens Nurseries in the USA by including C. 'Rosenkavalier', bred by Wilhelm Pfitzer.

Canna 'Maudie Malcolm'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, spreading habit; round stems, coloured green; flowers are open, self-coloured cerise-pink, throat ivory, staminodes are large, edges frilled, fully self-cleaning; fertile both ways, not known if true to type, not self-pollinating, capsules round; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white and pink.

This cultivar was introduced by Patrick Malcolm of Ty Ty Plantations, in the South of the USA. Many Canna authorities believe this to be the best pink Canna of all.

Said to be a seedling of Canna ‘Rosenkavalier’, the great pink from Wilhelm Pfitzer, one of the Grand Opera Series as marketed by Wayside Gardens.

Canna 'La Traviata'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, branching habit; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured old-rose, throat pale yellow, staminodes are large, edges frilled; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white.

Introduced by Howard & Smith Nursery, California, USA. A member of the Wayside Gardens marketing Opera Series.

Canna 'Madame Butterfly'

A medium sized Premier Group cultivar; dark green foliage, oblong shaped, green margin, branching habit; panicles of flowers are cupped, ivory and pale pink, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, 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 and pink; tillering is slow.

Supposedly introduced by Howard & Smith Nursery, California, USA in 1930's, but no documentary evidence to support this nursery-man assertion. It was claimed to be a member of the Grand Opera Series, originally developed by Howard and Smith. Wayside Gardens reputedly later purchased the series and added their own 'Rosenkavalier'. All cultivars in the series have large flowers in pastel shades, green foliage and are quite tall.

However, the series also contains some Italian Group cultivars and they don't happen easily or accidentally, and are out of sync with the other Crozy Group cultivars in this series. They also bear a remarkable resemblance to cultivars that were developed many years before this series was supposedly developed. Suffice to say that I suspect that this was a marketing exercise by Wayside Gardens to repackage older varieties.

Revisiting Canna 'Aida'

A medium sized Premier Group cultivar; green foliage; flowers are old-rose tinged with salmon, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, stamen is marked with gold, good bloomer; fertile both ways, not known if true to type, not self-pollinating; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white; tillering is average.

One of the Opera series of Canna bred by Howard and Smith Nursery of Los Angeles, USA in the 1930's. This series were added to by Wayside Gardens Nurseries in the USA by including C. 'Rosenkavalier', bred by the German house of Wilhelm Pfitzer.

See illustration below from the Henry Fields catalogue of 1969.