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Cannas, or canna lilies, look like banana trees without the trunk! That's no accident - they're kin to bananas and gingers, and their wide, furled leaves come out of thick, multiple-eyed rhizomes, just like their larger, edible cousins. Flowers are the main reason cannas are so highly prized, though. The tropical Indian shot (Canna indica) was hybridized and backcrossed with other Canna species, including the North American native, golden canna (C. flaccida). These hybrids have been known as Canna X generalis, or Canna X orchiodes, depending on flower characteristics, but they've been crossed too, and the distinctions are now largely lost or forgotten. Nowadays most experts include all the canna hybrids under Canna X generalis. And indeed there are hundreds of named cultivars, ranging from less than 30 in (76.2 cm) to more than 8 ft (2.4 m) in height, in colors from creams to yellows, to oranges and reds, and with a colorful diversity of leaf patterns as well. Some of the most striking cultivars have red or variegated foliage. Canna flowers are asymmetrical, with three petals, three sepals and three highly modified showy petal-like stamens. They come in a rainbow of shades from yellows, oranges, reds and pinks. The flowers are followed by a capsule with round, shotlike seeds.
Location
Light: Cannas prefer sun, but will grow in partial shade. Moisture: Cannas like moist soil and will thrive even in boggy conditions. They can be grown in ordinary garden soils, but will need regular watering. Hardiness: USDA Zones 8-12. Cannas can be grown in colder regions, but where the ground freezes, either lift the rhizomes during winter, or protect them with a thick layer of mulch. In cold climates, the rhizomes may be susceptible to rot. Propagation: Cannas are easy to propagate by dividing off pieces of the rhizomes.
Canna lilies are remarkably easy to grow. These are great flowers for a wet area. They will even grow in moderately polluted wetlands. Cannas look best in masses. Leaf rolling caterpillars can be devastating to the foliage, but are easily controlled. Plant cannas with bananas, gingers and palms for an enormous tropical foliage statement!
Features Jack Scheper 07/27/98; updated Steve Christman 03/14/01, 10/19/03
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