''Canna'' 'Roi Humbert' is an Italian Group canna cultivar; bronze foliage, ovoid shaped, spreading habit; oval stems, coloured purple; flowers are cupped, self-coloured scarlet, staminodes are large, edges ruffled, fully self-cleaning; seed is sterile, pollen is sterile; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is average. Introduced by C. Sprenger, Dammann & Co,

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, EU in 1908. C. 'Roi Humbert is the result of an F2 crossing, namely C. 'Madame Crozy' x C. ''flaccida'' produced C. 'Italia', then C. 'Madame Crozy ' was crossed with C. 'Italia'. This reinforced the characteristics of the Italian Group, as the cultivars derived from the C. ''flaccida'' cross have subsequently been named. Its rhizomes are heavily marked with maroon and have the shape of the C. ''indica'' side of the family, as do the leaves. The colour of the flower comes from the Crozy side, but the petal form is heavily influenced by the thinner and larger C. ''flaccida'' blooms. At the time of its introduction, the breeder C. Sprenger claimed that "Roi Humbert will surprise the horticultural world". Subsequently, it prided a chimera mutation, called

Canna 'Yellow King Humbert' ''Canna'' 'Yellow King Humbert' Burbank is a medium sized Italian Group ''Canna'' cultivar; foliage green, but often variegated purple markings and occasionally whole leaves purple, oval shaped, spreading habit; oval stems, coloured green + pur ...

, that has surprised the world. Did Sprenger know about the potential of such a mutation? The cultivar is a triploid, confirmed by (Dr Khoshoo). It received the ultimate award from the RHS, the

Award of Merit The Award of Merit, or AM, is a mark of quality awarded to plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). The award was instituted in 1888, and given on the recommendation of Plant Committees to plants deemed "of great merit for exhibitio ...

(AM) in 1909.

Synonyms

* ''Canna'' 'King Humbert' * ''Canna'' 'King of Prussia' * ''Canna'' 'New Red' * ''Canna'' 'Red King'

Gallery

File:Canna YKH 1075.jpg, Canna Italian Group 'Yellow King Humbert' Image:Canna Roi Humbert 01.JPG Image:Canna RoiHumbert 02.JPG

References

* Khoshoo, T.N. & Guha, I, Origin and Evolution of Cultivated Cannas, Vikas, India. * RHS Journal, 1908

Synonyms

Gallery

References

See also