A Gift for Someone You Love!
Cannas are a traditional gift for Father's Day in Thailand.
Exotic and tropical, Canna is a genus of 19 species of flowering plants, and is the only genus in the family Cannaceae. It is actually cousins to bananas and gingers, having large paddle-shaped leaves in the shades of green and bronze. However, flowers are a major reason cannas are so expensive.
The name canna has originated from the Celtic word "reed" or "canes". They aren't true lilies. Cannas gained momentum in the Victorian times as garden plants and were grown widely in places like France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Canna Species
Canna species and cultivars dwell in temperate and subtropical regions and are widely grown in the garden. There are around 19 species in the wild form. These species have been categorized by two different taxonomists, viz., Paul Maas from the Netherlands and Nobuyuki Tanaka from Japan in the last three decades. Both reduced the number of species from the 50 to 100 that had been accepted previously, and assigned most to being synonyms.
Canna amabilis
Native region: Northern Argentina (Chaco) USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Deep crimson red to pale yellow flowers with many seeds. Foliage: Large, spirally arranged Height: 2 - 4 m
Canna bangii
Native region: Peru and Bolivia USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Orange-red, erect, 4-7 cm long Foliage: Green Height: 4 m
Canna coccinea
Native region: Northern Argentina USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Raspberry red flowers, orange or red staminodes Foliage: Deep green Height: 2 m
Canna compacta
Native region: Southern Brazil and Northern Argentina USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Dark orange-red erect flowers Foliage: Lush green, medium-sized Height: 2 m
Canna discolor | C. achiras | 'Brick Canna'
Native region: Northern Argentina USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Red, or hues of peach and white Foliage: Green Height: 3 m
Canna flaccida | Water Canna
Native region: Wetlands of southeastern USA USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Large, slightly perfumed, yellow Foliage: Narrow; glaucous (blue-gray) Height: 1.5 m
Canna glauca
Native region: Wetlands of tropical America USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Delicate, pale yellow, pale orange Foliage: Glaucous leaves Height: 1.5 m
Canna indica | Indian shot | Bandera
Native region: South-eastern United States USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Magenta, scarlet, bright yellow Foliage: Blue to burgundy, bronze-green, glaucous Height: 0.5 - 2.5 m
*Note: The species Canna stenantha is a synonym of Canna glauca, and likewise, Canna plurituberosa is of Canna indica L.
Canna iridiflora
Native region: Peru, Columbia and Costa Rica USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Large, hanging, pink to red Foliage: Large, green Height: 5 m
Canna jacobiniflora
Native region: Wetlands of tropical America USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Scarlet, orange Foliage: Green Height: 3 m
Canna jaegeriana
Native region: South America and the Caribbean USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Usually curved, small, orange Foliage: Green, very large, oblong-shaped Height: 5 m
Canna liliiflora | Scented Canna | White Canna
Native region: Peru and Bolivia USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Lily-flowered, long, honeysuckle-scented Foliage: Linear-oblong, tinged-green Height: 3 m
Canna paniculata
Native region: Southern Mexico, Costa Rica, and tropical South America USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Shades from red to yellow Foliage: Sessile, green Height: 5 m
Canna patens
Native region: Northern Argentina USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Yellow with wide-red margin Foliage: Small-sized, green Height: 1.5 m
Canna pedunculata | Canna buekii Weinm.
Native region: Southeast Brazil USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Erect, yellow, relatively-small Foliage: Green, glaucous, relatively-narrow Height: 2.5 m
Canna speciosa
Native region: Tropical America USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Bicolored flowers, scarlet petals Foliage: Large, stalkless, gracefully arching Height: 2 m
Canna tuerckheimii
Native region: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador USDA Hardiness: Zone 10 Flowers: Orange-red Foliage: Large, green Height: 4 - 5 m
Canna Cultivars
A large number of ornamental cultivars have been developed. They can be used in tropical plantings, borders, and as a patio or decking plant.
Cultivar Flower Color Foliage Color Height (m) Angel Pink Translucent apricot and peach with slight yellow throat Green 2½ - 3 Apricot Dream Buff salmon with rose throat markings Gray-green 2½ - 3 Bangkok Yellow Red bud opens to clear yellow with white throat Green with white striping 2 - 3 Bengal Tiger Brilliant orange Green with white stripping 5 - 6 Bittersweet Light red-orange Green 4 China Doll Hot pink Green 3 Cleopatra Yellow with red speckles and streaks Green, sometimes with purple streaks 3 - 5 Crimson Beauty Crimson with faint yellow streak from throat Green 3 Dawn Pink Bright pink Burgundy 2 - 3 Erebus Salmon pink Glacous green 3 - 4 Futurity Orange Red-orange Bronze 2½ - 3 Indian Shot Peach with its lighter shades, white throat Green 3 - 4 Intrigue Smooth blending of red, orange, and yellow Gray-green with brownish veins 2½ - 3 Louis Cotton Light shades of yellow-orange Bronze 2½ - 3 Madame Butterfly Soft yellow, shaded pink Green 3 New White Creamy, almost white Green 4 - 5 Orange Blush Salmon pink Green 3 Pacific Beauty Pumpkin orange Gray-purple 6 Picasso Lemon yellow and white, spotted uniformly with blood red spots Bright green 2 - 3 Pink Beauty Pink petals with slightly gold edge Green 3 - 4 Pretoria Bright orange Green and yellow foliage with red pencil edging 3 - 4 Red King Humbert Red Bronze red 6 Red Stripe Small, bright red Large; purple with green pattern between veins 3 - 4 Salmon Pink Salmon Pink Green 2 - 3 Taney Orange - apricot salmon Glaucous green 4 - 5 The President Scarlet red Green 3½ - 5 Tropicanna Gold Orange or yellow Green with gold stripes 3 - 5 Tropicanna Black Tangerine Purple-black 3 - 5 Valentine Blood red Green 2½ Wyoming Bright orange Green with brownish edge 6 - 9
With their reedy canes and palmy foliage, cannas would be wonderful even if they never bloomed. Decide upon the one that attracts you and fulfills the climatic criteria in your region. Grow canna lilies, and do tell us about your experience. Keep loving flowers!
