Common name:Canna
Family:Cannaceae, Canna
Height x width: 18-48" x 12-24"
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Foliage:large to 2' long and 6" wide or more, simple, entire, banana-like, sheathing petioles; green, purplish or blue-green
Flowers: 4-6" across, terminal raceme or panicle, asymmetric flowers; red, orange, yellow, pink, occasionally white, sometimes spotted; often resembles gladiolus or butterfly
Hardiness: annual, zones 8-10
Soil: rich, fertile, moist (tolerates wet)
Light: sun
Pests and problems: bud rot, rust, mosaic and aster yellows viruses, Japanese beetle
Landscape habit, uses: specimen, background, formal and Victorian beds, alone in island beds, containers; very coarse or bold texture; tropical effect
Other interest: from Greek and Latin word for type of reed; native to American tropics and subtropics
Other culture: plant rhizomes 4-6" deep in spring, dig in fall after tops die and store frost-free; prefers heat and warm microclimates
Propagation: seeds (125 per ounce) sown 4-6 weeks before planting out (more for larger plants during the season, or if cold climate); thick rhizomes
Species:
edulis (e-duu' liss)--Arrowroot starch, produces cooking starch from edible tubers, known in West Indies as tous-les-mois
flaccida (fla' si-dah)--native to SE U.S., 5ft, parent of many hybrids
x generalis (gen-er-al' iss)--species of most ornamental cultivar hybrids, many with flaccida as a parent; separated into 2 types: tall 36-48", grown from rhizomes; short 18-24", grown from seed.
indica (in-di-cah')--Indian shot, refers to use of hard large black seeds as shot in West Indies, bright red flowers to 4 ft tall
latifolia (lat-i-fol' ee-ah)--scarlet flowers, green leaves with purple margins when young, from So. America
x orchiodes (or-key-oy' dees)--Orchid-flowered Canna, from Australia,
large 6" across flowers with petals turning back (reflexing) after first
day of bloom
Cultivars: (of x generalis)
| Cultivars | type | flowers | foliage, other |
| 'Black Knight' | tall, 42" | red | bronze |
| 'City of Portland' | tall, 42" | rosy pink | green |
| 'Gaiety' | tall, 42" | orange, yellow edges | green |
| Grand Opera series | tall, 42" | roses, yellow | gladiolus-flowered |
| 'Miss Oklahoma' | tall, 36" | pink | green |
| Pfitzer series | tall, 36" | yellows to reds, pink | orchid-flowered, by Wm. Pfitzer |
| 'Pretoria' | tall, 42" | orange | green and gold variegated |
| 'Red King Humbert' | tall, 48" | orange-red | bronze-red |
| 'Richard Wallace' | tall, 36" | golden yellow | green |
| 'Rosamond Cole' | tall, 36" | scarlet, yellow edge | |
| Seven Dwarfs series | short, 18" | yellows to reds, pink | green |
| 'The President' | tall, 36" | scarlet | glossy green |
| 'Tropical Rose' | short, 24" | rose, 3-4" wide | green, AAS winner |
| 'Wyoming' | tall, 42" | orange | bronze |
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