CANNA

Canna L., Sp. Pl. ed.1: 1. 1753; Gen. Pl. 5: 1. 1754; Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras. org vol. 22.

Perennial herbs, 1-2 m, rhizomatous, forming small to large monotypic stands. Aerial stems erect, unbranched. Leaves alternate, 2-ranked or spiral, green, bronze or purplish in hybrids and cultivars; blade narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 20-70 cm x 15-30 cm, base gradually or abruptly tapered, apex acute to acuminate, blade with lateral parallel veins diverging from midrib; leaf base sheathing, sheaths overlapping and supporting stem. Inflorescence 1 per aerial shoot, terminal on leafy shoot, pedunculate racemes or panicles of flowers or 2-flowered monochasial cymes (cincinni); peduncle green or purplish; bracts green, purplish or reddish; primary bracts to 30 cm long, secondary bracts to 20 cm long; floral bracts 0.5-3 cm x 0.3-1.5 cm, papery. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, large, showy, shortly pedicellate, subtended by pedicel bract. Sepals 3, free, imbricate, often less than half the size of petals, persistent. Petals 3, connate at base, sharply reflexed or not, green or brightly coloured, 4-15 cm long, generally shorter than staminodes. Staminodes and stamens in 2 whorls, showy, crimson red, orange-red or yellow but never pure red, outer whorl with (2 or) 3 conspicuous petaloid staminodes, inner whorl with anterior +/- reflexed staminode (labellum), 3-9 cm x 4-10 cm and a posterior fertile stamen with petaloid staminode-like filament and 1-locular anther adnate to apical margin of the filament; sometimes one more staminode like of outer whorl. Carpels 3, syncarpous; ovary inferior, green to reddish, 3-locular, ovules few to many in each loculus, placentation axile; style petaloid; stigmatic area shaped as marginal callosity; petals, staminodes, stamen and style basally connate into a tube. Capsules brown to blackish, 1.5-6 cm x 2-4.5 cm, warty, becoming papery. Seeds 5-25(-75) per capsule, medium to dark brown or black, 4-10 mm x 4-8 mm.

12 species

Canna indica

Canna indica L., Sp. Pl. 1: 1. 1753; Fl. China @ eFloras. org 24: 378; Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras. org vol. 22; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 1.

Perennial herb, rhizomatous, forming small to large (1-2 m) aerial stems. Aerial stems erect, stout, unbranched, with conspicuous nodes and internodes. Leaves alternate, 2-ranked, green or purplish. Leaf sheaths green or purple, tubular; petiole short or inconspicuous; leaf blade ovate-oblong to oblong, 20-60 cm x 10-33 cm, pale green, green or purple with conspicuous midrib and diverging parallel veins, base obtuse to narrowly cuneate, apex acute to shortly acuminate. Inflorescences racemes or panicles, 8-22 cm long bearing 1- to 2-flowered cincinni, 6-20 per inflorescence; racemes pedunculate, peduncles 4.5-14 cm; primary bracts 10-18 cm x 3.2-4.5 cm; secondary bracts to 9 cm x 3 cm; floral bracts persistent, broadly to narrowly obovate or oblong, 0.5-4.5 cm x 0.7-2 cm, apex entire, obtuse. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, large, 8-14 cm long, showy, pedicels short, 2-5 mm. Sepals 3, pale purplish green, free, imbricate, 0.8-2.6 cm x 0.7-1.5 cm, narrowly triangular, persistent. Petals 3, erect, 4.5-8.5 cm x 1-1.8 cm, connate below forming 0.7-2.1 cm long tube, lobes lanceolate to nearly oblong, pale yellow or greenish yellow. Staminodes and stamen red, reddish-orange, yellow-orange or yellow, never pure in colour and occur in 2 whorls: outer whorl with (2 or) 3 conspicuous petaloid staminodes, narrowly obovate to spathulate, sometimes oblanceolate, 8-13 cm x 3-3.5 cm, connate below forming ca. 3 cm long tube along with labellum, stamen, style and petals, apex rounded; inner whorl with an anterior +/- reflexed staminode (labellum), 8-22 cm x 3-4 cm, narrowly oblong, apex shallowly or deeply emarginate; and a posterior fertile stamen with petaloid staminode-like filament, 7.2-9 cm x 1-2.7 cm, anther 0.8-1.5 cm long, 1-locular with longitudinal dehiscence, adnate to apical margin of the filament. Ovary inferior, green to reddish-orange, warty, 3-locular, ovules few to many in 2 series in each loculus, placentation axile; style petaloid, 6-9 cm long, narrower than labellum; stigma terminal marginal. Capsules broadly ovoid trigonal, muricate, 1.2-2.3 cm x 1.5-2 cm. Seeds black, +/- globose, ca. 0.5 mm in diameter.

Flowering and Fruiting: Almost throughout the year
Common Names: Indian Shot, Wild Canna, Canna Lily; Keli (Hindi)