Canna flaccida
Encyclopedia
Canna flaccida Salisb. is a species of the Canna
genus, a member of the family Cannaceae. Indigenous to the wetlands of south-eastern USA. It was a parent to many of the early-hybridised cannas originally known as orchid flowered cannas, but now correctly named as Italian Group cannas. It grows well as a water canna. Originally described by the early American explorer, William Bartram
, when he found these plants blooming near the rivers of coastal Georgia
. The seed floats down the rivers and becomes easily established on shorelines. Introduced to England in 1788.
It is a perennial
growing to 1.5m. It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. In the north latitudes it is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite
.
from the Netherlands and Nobuyuki Tanaka
from Japan
. In this case both agree that C. flaccida is a distinct species, and the DNA work by Prince and Kress at the Smithsonian Institution
confirms its uniqueness.
Canna (plant)
Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
genus, a member of the family Cannaceae. Indigenous to the wetlands of south-eastern USA. It was a parent to many of the early-hybridised cannas originally known as orchid flowered cannas, but now correctly named as Italian Group cannas. It grows well as a water canna. Originally described by the early American explorer, William Bartram
William Bartram
William Bartram was an American naturalist. The son of Ann and John Bartram, William Bartram and his twin sister Elizabeth were born in Kingsessing, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. As a boy, he accompanied his father on many of his travels, to the Catskill Mountains, the New Jersey Pine Barrens,...
, when he found these plants blooming near the rivers of coastal Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The seed floats down the rivers and becomes easily established on shorelines. Introduced to England in 1788.
It is a perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
growing to 1.5m. It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. In the north latitudes it is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
.
Synonyms
- Canna anahuacensis Kraenzl.
- Canna angustifolia L.
- Canna fintelmannii Bouché
- Canna flaccida Roscoe
- Canna flava Michx. ex Lam.
- Canna reevesii Lindl.
- Canna 'Bandana of the Everglades'
- Canna 'Golden Canna'
Taxonomy
In the last three decades of the 20th century, Canna species have been categorised by two different taxonomists, Paulus Johannes Maria MaasPaulus Johannes Maria Maas
Paulus Johannes Maria Maas is a botanist from the Netherlands and a specialist in the flora of the neotropics. Maas has identified and named about two hundred fifty plants from the Burmanniaceae, the Costus Family , the Gentian Family , the Bloodwort Family , the Banana Family , the Olacaceae, the...
from the Netherlands and Nobuyuki Tanaka
Nobuyuki Tanaka
Nobuyuki Tanaka is an economic botanist at the Tokyo Metropolitan University, the Makino Botanical Garden in Kōchi prefecture, Japan and the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute , Japan....
from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In this case both agree that C. flaccida is a distinct species, and the DNA work by Prince and Kress at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
confirms its uniqueness.
Canna flaccida Salisb.
It is aquatic species, with narrow, blue-green (glaucous) leaves, very pretty, large, lightly perfumed, canary yellow flowers growing in clusters at the tops of long stalks. The lip of the flower is wavy. Flowers emerge in the evening and wither in the heat of the following day, the only member of the genus that behaves in this manner, all others open early in the morning and are strong enough to survive at least one day. It grows as a marginal plant in up to about 15cm of still or slow-moving water.See also
- CannaCanna (plant)Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
- List of Canna species
- List of Canna cultivarsCanna (Plant) GalleryThis is a gallery of named canna cultivars, representative of the various Canna cultivar groups. Names of cultivars are regulated by the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, are registered with an International Cultivar Registration Authority and conform to the rules of the...
- List of autumn flowers