List of Canna hybridists
Encyclopedia
The first hybridisation of Cannas
was performed in 1848, and since then many Canna hybridizers have made their contribution to the genus over the centuries. This is a date ordered list of those people and their brief stories.
of Passy
, France brought back from his travels the seeds of several Canna
species
, and in 1848 he crossed C. glauca with C. indica, so producing the first known and recorded Canna hybrid, C. x annaei André
, now referred to as C. 'Annei'. Année was rapidly joined by many other enthusiasts and professional horticulturists as Canna hybrids enjoyed rapid popularity in France. In 1866 he retired to Nice
, France and from there released his last recorded cultivar, C. 'Prémices de Nice'.
Amongst the professionals who joined in the enthusiasm for new Canna cultivars was the rose breeder Monsieur Antoine Crozy
of Lyons, France, who first started hybridising Cannas in 1862 and continued introducing new canna cultivars at a rapid rate until his death in 1903, giving his name to a whole new group of floriferous Canna cultivars. Crozy aîné (French for "elder"), as he was universally known, was succeeded by his son, Michel Crozy (1871–1908). He was also accorded the nickname of Papa Canna, as he was considered to be the father of Cannas. Unfortunately, no images of this remarkable man appear to have survived over the years.
of Stadt Fellbach
in Germany
produced over 300 new cultivars up until the early 1950s. Many generations of the founder, Wilhelm, followed in the business, which is still in existence on a small scale. Wilhelm's son Walter took over control of the business in the 1870s until his death in 1931. Until then, Walter Pfitzer was still in demand judging at international fairs, exhibitions, and shows, retaining his Presidency and Vice Presidency of the German and British Gladiolus Societies respectively, right until the end. His continual interest in Cannas meant a steady supply of new cultivars being produced each year.
In 1933, there were about 150 employees worldwide. That same year, in order to celebrate the elevation of Fellbach to the status of a city, the firm named one of its best seedlings that year as Canna ‘Stadt Fellbach’, meaning ‘City of Fellbach’. That is still a popular cultivar in this day and age.
Walter's children Paul, Anna & Rudolf followed their father into the business, but in the 1950s they were forced to abandon the breeding of Cannas, as the high cost of German labour meant that they could no longer compete with Mediterranean countries, who also enjoyed a more favourable climate.
in France produced a considerable number of new cultivars during the last century.
hybridists, the US firm of Conard Pyle Co.
also contributed large numbers of cultivars in the early part of the 1900s, under the guidance of its chief hybridist Antoine Wintzer. Wintzer worked in collaboration with Dr van Fleet, of the USDA, to produce many new Canna varieties.
One of Crozy's most beautiful creations was the cultivar Canna 'Madame Crozy'
, that has a beautiful crimson red colour with a golden margin. It was used by the Italian
horticulturist Carl Spenger
, from the Dammann establishments at San Giovani Teduccio near Naples
, to create the "Canna with orchid flowers" or "Italian Canna", as they were know. Examples of varieties having the Canna hybrid Madame Crozy as a parent, are C. 'Austria' (1893), C. 'Italia' (1893), C. 'Alemania' (1894), C. 'Britannia' (1895), C. 'Heinrich Seidel'(1895). There is recorded knowledge of 57 cultivars originating from this prolific nursery, until its destruction by the eruption of the Mount Vesuvius
volcano
in the early 1900s.
was a resident of Nancy, France and considered to be one of the greatest horticulturists of all time, and was the first foreigner to receive the Victorian Medal of Horticulture of the Royal Horticultural Society
. He also received the George R. White Medal of Honor from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
.
, located in Kolkata
, India
, firstly under the Secretaryship of Percy Lancaster in 1892 and later that of his son Sydney Percy-Lancaster
, raised the Alipore
Canna Collection, which dominated canna throughout that continent
. Over 100 new varieties are known to have been raised by the society during that period, as well as importing the latest favourites from Europe
and later from the USA.
was a celebrated horticulturist when in 1896 he released his first two Canna cultivars, C. ‘Tarrytown’ and C. ‘Burbank’. His other creations included C. ‘Wyoming’, one of the most popular cultivars, even up to this date. He was the first to recognise and name the C. 'Roi Humbert' mutation, which he named as C. 'Yellow King Humbert'.
His known cultivars were all of the type found in the Italian Group of Cannas.
was the origin of many canna cultivars. Their catalog of the year 1910 documented 110 canna varieties, many of them being their own creations.
One of their principal successes was the obtaining of a pure pink colour which didn’t exist at that time (only pale pink and salmon pink existed). The obtaining of these cultivars C. ‘Francis Berthie’ and C. ‘Prince de Galles’ encouraged them to try for a purer colour. In 1922, the cultivar C. ‘Prince Charmant’ with its bright carmine pink colour brought the desired tone to the collection. This is still a popular cultivar, found in many collections.
However, the improvements didn’t stop there and in 1930, the Rozain-Boucharlat’s variety C. 'Centenaire de Rozain-Boucharlat' appeared in their list. This variety which is small, floriferous, with big spikes and carmine, lilac shaded flowers is still found at many horticulturists' and cities’ green spaces. It was released in celebration of the first 100 years of the company.
in the USA contributed a collection of Conservatory Group and Aquatic Group cultivars, originated by Dr Robert Armstrong
the chief geneticist at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania
, USA.
Canna (plant)
Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
was performed in 1848, and since then many Canna hybridizers have made their contribution to the genus over the centuries. This is a date ordered list of those people and their brief stories.
1848 Théodore Année
A retired French diplomatic agent in America, the gentleman gardener Monsieur Théodore AnnéeThéodore Année
Théodore Année, a wealthy, retired French diplomatic consul in South America, returned to France in the mid 1840's and settled in rue des Réservoirs, Passy, Paris, where he devoted himself to the culture of tropical plants from South America, having brought back with him the taste for plants with...
of Passy
Passy
Passy is an area of Paris, France, located in the XVIe arrondissement, on the Right Bank. It is traditionally home to many of the city's wealthiest residents.Passy was formerly a commune...
, France brought back from his travels the seeds of several Canna
Canna (plant)
Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, and in 1848 he crossed C. glauca with C. indica, so producing the first known and recorded Canna hybrid, C. x annaei André
Édouard André
Édouard François André was a French horticulturalist, landscape designer, as well as a leading landscape architect of the late 19th century, famous for designing city parks and public spaces of Monte Carlo and Montevideo....
, now referred to as C. 'Annei'. Année was rapidly joined by many other enthusiasts and professional horticulturists as Canna hybrids enjoyed rapid popularity in France. In 1866 he retired to Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France and from there released his last recorded cultivar, C. 'Prémices de Nice'.
1860s Mr Goujon and Mr Jules Chretien
Resident of Lyon, France. Both supervisors of the Tete d’Or park.1862 Antoine Crozy
Pierre Antoine Marie Crozy
Pierre Antoine Marie Crozy [also called Crozy aîné -- French for "elder"] was a nineteenth century French rose breeder. He was a partner in the French firm, Avoux & Crozy, La Guillotière, Lyon, actively breeding roses from the 1850s to 1860s. From the early 1860s until his death in 1903 he was...
of Lyons, France, who first started hybridising Cannas in 1862 and continued introducing new canna cultivars at a rapid rate until his death in 1903, giving his name to a whole new group of floriferous Canna cultivars. Crozy aîné (French for "elder"), as he was universally known, was succeeded by his son, Michel Crozy (1871–1908). He was also accorded the nickname of Papa Canna, as he was considered to be the father of Cannas. Unfortunately, no images of this remarkable man appear to have survived over the years.
1880s Wilhelm Pfitzer
Messrs Wilhelm PfitzerWilhelm Pfitzer
Wilhelm Pfitzer was 40 years of age in 1844, when he gave up his learned profession to open a nursery, in his own name, on parental property at Militärstraße, Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, EU...
of Stadt Fellbach
Fellbach
Fellbach is a mid-sized town on the north-east Border of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg. With a population of approximately 43,700 as of December 2003 it is the second largest town in the District Rems-Murr-Kreis. The area of the town is 27.7 km²....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
produced over 300 new cultivars up until the early 1950s. Many generations of the founder, Wilhelm, followed in the business, which is still in existence on a small scale. Wilhelm's son Walter took over control of the business in the 1870s until his death in 1931. Until then, Walter Pfitzer was still in demand judging at international fairs, exhibitions, and shows, retaining his Presidency and Vice Presidency of the German and British Gladiolus Societies respectively, right until the end. His continual interest in Cannas meant a steady supply of new cultivars being produced each year.
In 1933, there were about 150 employees worldwide. That same year, in order to celebrate the elevation of Fellbach to the status of a city, the firm named one of its best seedlings that year as Canna ‘Stadt Fellbach’, meaning ‘City of Fellbach’. That is still a popular cultivar in this day and age.
Walter's children Paul, Anna & Rudolf followed their father into the business, but in the 1950s they were forced to abandon the breeding of Cannas, as the high cost of German labour meant that they could no longer compete with Mediterranean countries, who also enjoyed a more favourable climate.
1880 Vilmorin-Andrieux & Cie
Messrs Vilmorin-Andrieux & CieLouis de Vilmorin
Pierre Louis François Lévêque de Vilmorin , usually referred to as Louis de Vilmorin, the grandson of Philippe André de Vilmorin, and a member of the family firm of Vilmorin-Andrieux, devoted his life to biology and chemistry, with a focus on the breeding and cultivation of plants.Louis de Vilmorin...
in France produced a considerable number of new cultivars during the last century.
1890s Antoine Wintzer
Although thought of primarily as roseRose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
hybridists, the US firm of Conard Pyle Co.
Conard Pyle Co.
Conard Pyle Co, is a horticultural house which has been based in West Grove, Pennsylvania, USA, for over 150 years and the introducer of the Peace rose to America , always specialised in rose production, but at one time, they were the leading Canna grower and hybridizer in the USA...
also contributed large numbers of cultivars in the early part of the 1900s, under the guidance of its chief hybridist Antoine Wintzer. Wintzer worked in collaboration with Dr van Fleet, of the USDA, to produce many new Canna varieties.
1887 Dammann & Cie
Canna 'Madame Crozy'
Canna 'Madame Crozy is a medium sized Crozy Group canna cultivar; green foliage, large, ovoid shaped, branching habit; oval stems, coloured red; spikes of flowers are open, scarlet with a narrow gold margin, throat gold with vermilion spots, staminodes are medium size, edges regular, petals red,...
, that has a beautiful crimson red colour with a golden margin. It was used by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
horticulturist Carl Spenger
Carl Ludwig Sprenger
Carl Ludwig Sprenger was a German botanist, born on 30 November 1846 at Güstrow, Mecklenburg and died 13 December 1917 on the island of Corfu....
, from the Dammann establishments at San Giovani Teduccio near Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, to create the "Canna with orchid flowers" or "Italian Canna", as they were know. Examples of varieties having the Canna hybrid Madame Crozy as a parent, are C. 'Austria' (1893), C. 'Italia' (1893), C. 'Alemania' (1894), C. 'Britannia' (1895), C. 'Heinrich Seidel'(1895). There is recorded knowledge of 57 cultivars originating from this prolific nursery, until its destruction by the eruption of the Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
in the early 1900s.
1880s Victor Lemoine
Victor LemoineVictor Lemoine
Victor Lemoine was a celebrated and prolific French flower breeder who, among other accomplishments, created many of today's lilac varieties...
was a resident of Nancy, France and considered to be one of the greatest horticulturists of all time, and was the first foreigner to receive the Victorian Medal of Horticulture of the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
. He also received the George R. White Medal of Honor from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
Massachusetts Horticultural Society
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, sometimes abbreviated to MassHort, is an American horticultural society based in Massachusetts. It describes itself as the oldest, formally-organized horticultural institution in the United States...
.
1892 Alipore Canna Collection
The Agri Horticultural Society of IndiaAgri Horticultural Society of India
The Agri Horticultural Society of India was founded in 1820 by William Carey on the Alipore Road, Kolkata. It has a flower garden, greenhouses, a research laboratory and a library. It houses a massive collection of plants and flowers...
, located in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, firstly under the Secretaryship of Percy Lancaster in 1892 and later that of his son Sydney Percy-Lancaster
Sydney Percy-Lancaster
Sydney Percy-Lancaster, F.L.S., F.R.H.S., M.R.A.S. was born on 19 July 1886 at Meerut, India. His father, Percy Lancaster, was a banker and a talented amateur gardener, who went on to become the Secretary of the Agri Horticultural Society of India in Calcutta, India.-Career:In 1902 Sydney...
, raised the Alipore
Alipore
Alipore is headquarters of South 24 Parganas district and a neighbourhood in South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.Alipore, Kolkata, not to be confused with Alipore, Gujarat, is one of the poshest and costliest localities in Kolkata, along with the area Ballygunge...
Canna Collection, which dominated canna throughout that continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
. Over 100 new varieties are known to have been raised by the society during that period, as well as importing the latest favourites from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and later from the USA.
1896 Luther Burbank
Mr Luther BurbankLuther Burbank
Luther Burbank was an American botanist, horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science.He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 54-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables...
was a celebrated horticulturist when in 1896 he released his first two Canna cultivars, C. ‘Tarrytown’ and C. ‘Burbank’. His other creations included C. ‘Wyoming’, one of the most popular cultivars, even up to this date. He was the first to recognise and name the C. 'Roi Humbert' mutation, which he named as C. 'Yellow King Humbert'.
His known cultivars were all of the type found in the Italian Group of Cannas.
1900s Rozain-Boucharlat
In the early 20th century, the Rozain-Boucharlat establishments were prolific hybidists. Their nursery’s at Cuires-les-Lyon, FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
was the origin of many canna cultivars. Their catalog of the year 1910 documented 110 canna varieties, many of them being their own creations.
One of their principal successes was the obtaining of a pure pink colour which didn’t exist at that time (only pale pink and salmon pink existed). The obtaining of these cultivars C. ‘Francis Berthie’ and C. ‘Prince de Galles’ encouraged them to try for a purer colour. In 1922, the cultivar C. ‘Prince Charmant’ with its bright carmine pink colour brought the desired tone to the collection. This is still a popular cultivar, found in many collections.
However, the improvements didn’t stop there and in 1930, the Rozain-Boucharlat’s variety C. 'Centenaire de Rozain-Boucharlat' appeared in their list. This variety which is small, floriferous, with big spikes and carmine, lilac shaded flowers is still found at many horticulturists' and cities’ green spaces. It was released in celebration of the first 100 years of the company.
1960s Longwood Gardens
Longwood GardensLongwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States in the Brandywine Creek Valley...
in the USA contributed a collection of Conservatory Group and Aquatic Group cultivars, originated by Dr Robert Armstrong
Robert Armstrong (geneticist)
Dr. Robert Armstrong, Longwood Gardens newly appointed Geneticist, began a canna breeding program in 1967, when it was realized that cultivars available at that time were not suitable for use on display in the Gardens conservatories and lakes.-Goals:...
the chief geneticist at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA.
1980s Marcelle Sheppard
Although best known for her Crinum cultivars, over the years Mrs Marcelle Sheppard has also hybridized a number of winning Cannas. One of the most exciting to look at is C. 'Zulu Rouge' with its dark (almost brown-black) foliage and bright red flowers. Many of her cultivars were distributed over the years by Herb Kelly Jr.External references
See also
- CannaCanna (plant)Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
- List of Canna species
- List of Canna cultivars