Canna Humbert Group

Canna 'Roi Humbert 1er'

(Humbert Group)

This is a new canna group that is dedicated to the Italian Group somatic chimera cultivar, Canna 'Roi Humbert 1er' and its many mutations over the last 120+ years.

Canna 'Roi Humbert 1er' is the result of an F2 crossing involving C. 'Madame Crozy', C. flaccida and C. 'Italia'. Its' rhizomes are heavily marked with maroon and have the shape of the 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 flaccida blooms.

Dr Khoshoo established that this is a triploid family, meaning that it is seed infertile and has a very low pollen fertility, if at all.

Canna 'Asia' (Italian Group)

As there is a somatic mutation involved, it is not realistic to treat the subsequent descendant names as mere synonyms, as the mutation could have happened many different times over the years, and with different DNA results. Therefore this new group has been created so that the different commercial names can all be acknowledged. Once again, the use of groups is shown to be the sensible way forward.

In addition, the chimera has a a habit of reverting to look like either of its different ancestors, 'Roi Humbert' and 'Asia', or both! But even then is not stable, and can again re-revert! Rather than try and describe this phenomena with pseudo-scientific names, we now just state that it is one of the Humbert Group and leave it like that.

Canna 'Cleopatra'

The new (Humbert Group) name replaces the elder multiple group list of (Italian Group)(Chimera Group)(Sport Group)(Variegated Group)(Heritage Group), but if you wish to add any of them, such as (Heritage Group), then the ICNCP (Cultivated Plant Code) allows for that as well.

The breeder, Herr Karl Sprenger of Damman et Cie of Naples in Italy, stated that, "Roi Humbert will surprise the horticultural world.", and it has certainly done that, earning the RHS Award of Merit in the first year it was introduced, and with its countless, eye-catching mutations over the last century or so, of which we accept that we only know categorically to a couple of handfuls.

During my early canna collecting years I found myself trying to differentiate between the various plants, until one day it dawned on me that there was no, or little, difference and they were all the same family group, however and whenever produced. 

Listed below are the descendants of Canna 'Roi Humbert 1er' and includes both synonyms and sports that are mutating or have mutated through the green foliage state and back into the red state.

The initial members of this group of descendants of Canna 'Roi Humbert 1er' are:

Dark foliage, red flowers state Green variegated foliage, random flowers state
  • Canna 'King Humbert'
  • Canna 'Ambassador'
  • Canna 'Black Cleopatra'
  • Canna 'Boca Blue'
  • Canna 'Black Knight'
  • Canna 'Fortune'
  • Canna 'New Red'
  • Canna 'Paddy's Red'
  • Canna 'Red Cleopatra'
  • Canna 'Red King'
  • Canna 'Red King Humbert'
  • Canna 'Red Prince'
  • Canna 'Ty Ty Red' 
  • Canna 'Zulu Masquerade'
  • Canna 'Cleopatra'
  • Canna 'Queen Helena'
  • Canna 'Queen of Italy'
  • Canna 'Spanish Emblem'
  • Canna 'Yellow Humbert'
  • Canna 'Yellow King Humbert'

We have no doubt that the lists are not complete and this volatile mutator hasn't finished yet, and we will be adding to the lists over the years to come, and as long as people continue to cultivate cannas.

Canna 'Queen of Italy'
The very simple definition of the Humbert Group is:

A Group of Canna sports descending from the cultivar Canna 'Roi Humbert 1er', introduced by Karl Sprenger of Damman et Cie. The  group members are all somatic mutations of the originating plant, and not sexual propagated descendants.  Any synonyms of these sports is also counted as a group member





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