Canna Stuttgart Variegated Leaves...Nothing Else Quite Like it

The white canna Stuttgart is one of the most spectacular variegated cannas I grow with green and white leaves.

This unusual canna was discovered in Germany at the Stuttgart Botanical Gardens. It is believed to be a sport from the old heirloom canna Annei raised c1848 and personally I believe so too. I've had cannas sport before with variegated foliage however the variegation has never been stable. Canna Stuttgart was officially imported into Australia roughly pre 2005.

Like some other tropical plants Stuttgart is a tall growing canna with large tropical foliage that has blocks of white on its leaves and stem.

Where the white and green blocks meet and overlap each other there will be some blue green and silver shades.

These blocks of white variegation are caused by having incomplete or completely missing chloroplasts cells.

These cells are within the cells that contain the chlorophyll, but as they are missing the chloroplast they cannot photosynthesis and therefore turn white instead of green when exposed to sunlight.

At times Stuttgart will appear a pale yellow or cream instead of the normal white variegated plants, this I see a little of in cold weather.

The white leaves can become scorched and dry off to brown in extreme heat and hot windy weather; this is more noticeable on a single plant but grown as a clump the browning is less noticeable amongst the new fresh white growth.

A part shaded position will give better results for these exotic plants as less indirect sun will prevent more dried off leaves.

Stuttgart is widely grown as foliage plants as the flowers on Stuttgart are simple pale apricots that fade through to pink, never less they are still pretty.

The tallest I've had Canna Stuttgart grow is 3.1 meters tall; this height is measured from the ground to the top of the flowers, I use an old curtain rod and have it marked at 10cm increments.

Stuttgart is a cultivator that is known not to produce seed, however I have only collected one hardened black seed from it and some other non seeding or low fertility cannas have been known to produce canna seeds in rare cases also.

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