| Monocotyledon | Literature for Canna indica
Maas-van de Kamer & Maas, 2008; Mabberley, 2008; Wagner et al., 1990, 1999; Lorence & Wagner, 2019. |
| Cannaceae -- The Canna Family | Bibliography |
| Canna indica | |
Common name(s): ali`iope, Indian-shot, li`iope, poloka |
| General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | Native to the Neotropics, now widely cultivated and naturalized in tropical and subtropical areas.In the Hawaiian Islands, naturalized on Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Hawai`i. |
|
| Habit |
Perennial herb from tuberous rhizomes; stems 80‒200 cm long. |
|
| Leaves |
Leaves with petiole very short or essentially absent; blade oblong or oblong-elliptic, 30‒60 cm long, 15‒25 cm wide, apex abruptly long acuminate, gradually tapering to the sheathing base. |
|
| Flowers |
Inflorescences a thyrse, bracts lanceolate, 10‒15 cm long, apex boat-shaped, bract of flower whitish, membranous, 10–18 mm long. Flowers with whitish sepals, membranous, oblong-lanceolate, 8‒12 mm long;
petals pale yellow, sometimes tinged pink or red, erect, lanceolate, 30‒40 mm long; staminodes 3, conspicuous, dark red, orange, or yellow and then sometimes with red streaks, erect, narrowly oblanceolate, 40‒50 mm long, the inner one fertile and slightly smaller; labellum orange with red
spots and streaks, narrower than other
staminodes and somewhat asymmetrical. |
|
| Fruit |
Fruit ellipsoid, ca. 2.2‒3 cm long, surface warty, warts deciduous. |
|
| Seeds |
Seeds very dark brown to black, very hard, globose, ca. 3-7 mm in diameter. |
|
| Chromosomes |
2n = 18, 27. |
|
| Notes |
The starchy rhizomes of forms of Canna indica are edible. |
|
| Contributor |
David Lorence |
