Canna

Scientific name

Canna L.

Common names

canna lily

Family

Cannaceae

Similar genera

Crinum, Dieffenbachia, Hedychium, Hellenia (=Cheilocostus), Thalia

Native distribution

tropical and subtropical regions of the New World

Species cultivated

(eight species plus numerous cultivated hybrids and varieties)

Canna flaccida Salisb.

C. generalis L.H. Bailey & E.Z. Bailey

C. glauca L.

C. indica L.

C. iridiflora Ruiz & Pav.

C. jaegeriana Urb.

C. paniculata Ruiz & Pav.

C. tuerckheimii Kraenzl.

Adventive distribution

tropical areas worldwide

Weed status

weedy in some countries

Habit

Erect, large-leaved, helophytic herb

Brief description

Perennial, rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
. Stem erect, leafy, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
indistinct or short; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
ovate to ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, large, green (bronze, maroon, or variegated in hybrids and cultivars); apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
obtuse to acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
, often shortly acuminateacuminate:
(adj) tapering gradually to a point and forming more or less concave sides
and/or ending in a filiformfiliform:
(adj) thread-like; long and thin
thread; base sheathing; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
pinnatepinnate:
(adj) in the form of a feather; of, e.g., leaflets, lobes, or veins: arranged in two rows along an axis
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
terminal, solitary or 2-flowered monochasialmonochasial:
(adj) in the form of a monochasium
cymes, composed secondarily into a spikespike:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranching inflorescence of sessile flowers or flower clusters on a usually elongated axis
or paniclepanicle:
(n) an indeterminate, branched (often much-branched) inflorescence; the ultimate units may be of a different inflorescence type
; peduncles often glaucousglaucous:
(adj) covered with a waxy whitish or bluish coating
; bractbract:
(n) a modified leaf near a flower or inflorescence, often reduced, sometimes large and/or petaloid; also glumes, lemmas, and paleae of grass spikelets
subtending secondary inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
; floral bracts papery, subtending each flower/monochasial cymecyme:
(n) a determinate, usually flat-topped or convex inflorescence in which the terminal flower blooms earliest
; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
± absent. Flowers zygomorphiczygomorphic:
(adj) bilaterally symmetrical; symmetrical along only one plane
, generally erect, color variable in numerous cultivars; sepals 3, triangular to obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
, often half the size of petals; petals 3, erect to reflexedreflexed:
(adj) abruptly curved or bent downward
, ovate-triangular, margins curved inwards, basally fused.

Natural habitat

in wet or swampy places, marshes, along streams, rivers, or roadsides (also in secondary vegetation)

Additional comments

Members of Canna (10-15 species) are commonly cultivated for ponds and gardens, and for their seeds, which are used for beads.