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Canna is often confused with:
Aspidistra elatior Form
Thalia dealbata Thalia dealbata
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Allium giganteum Plant
Hibiscus moscheutos Native habitat
Typha latifolia Form
Canna has some common insect problems:
Japanese Beetle
Slugs & Snails on Ornamental Plants
Canna has some other problems:
Winter Injury

Australian Canna Lily Canna

Other Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
KAN-nah
Description

Arrowroot is a group of erect perennial bulbs in the Cannaceae (canna) family, native to tropical East and West Africa and Central and South America. They can grow up to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. The genus name comes from the Latin word for reed.  

Arrowroot can be challenging to grow.  They grow in a variety of soil textures but prefer organically-rich, well-drained soil and a site that receives full sun to partial shade. Good drainage is essential to prevent rhizomes from rotting, however the plant will tolerate moist, occasionally wet soil. These plants will sustain injury if left in the ground at temperatures below 25 degrees F. Gardeners in hardiness zones 6a and 6b should cut the plants to the ground immediately after the first frost and lift the rhizome clumps for winter storage in a dry medium such as peat or vermiculite. Store the rhizomes in a cool dry location that does not fall below 40 degrees F. In the spring, after the last frost, return the rhizomes to the ground placing them 4 to 6 inches deep and spaced 12 inches to 3 feet apart. Propagation is by division. 

Showy flowers bloom from July to October above leaves that are large and broad and may be green to reddish purple. Some leaves can be 2 feet long. Arrowroot is a wildlife food source as well as a larval host for the Lesser canna leafroller (Geshna cannalis) moth.  Cultivars with red blooms attract hummingbirds.

Plant arrowroot in drought tolerant, rain, and water gardens. Place them near pools, walkways, containers, and ponds. They make great mass plantings to grow as hedges, backgrounds, or borders. 

Quick ID Hints:

  • Tall erect herb with giant, sheathing leaves
  • Terminal racemes with large carotenoid flowers
  • Fruits a prickly 3-valved capsule.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  Japanese beetles, slugs, and snails; aster yellows disease, bud rot, rust, and mosaic virus.

VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.   

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscapes:
Dry Stream Bed Garden in Cabarrus County Corner Roadside Planting
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Black Knight'
    4'-6' tall, red flowers and smoky purple foliage, strong stalks
  • 'Brandywine' - Longwood Hybrid Canna
    3' tall, heavily blooming red flowers, green foliage with red leaf margins
  • C. americanallis var. variegata Canna americanallis 'Bengal Tiger'
    C. glauca Canna glauca
  • 'Chesapeake' - Longwood Hybrid Canna
    4' tall, yellow flowers that fade to white over time, green foliage
  • C. indica Plant
    C. x generalis Cannas in the landscape
  • 'Lily Thai'
  • 'Mrs. Pierre S. du Pont'
    4' tall, pink flowers with green foliage
  • 'Phasion' Tropicanna® - Variegated Canna
    4'-6' tall, orange flowers, leaves are green with red and yellow streaks
  • 'Red Futurity'
  • 'Striata' - Variegated Canna
    5' tall, orange flowers, green leaves with cream colored streaks
  • 'Striped Beauty' - Variegated Canna
    3'-5' tall, yellow buds open to cream colored flowers with pink bracts, green leaves with yellow streaks, requires overwintering
'Black Knight', 'Brandywine' - Longwood Hybrid Canna, C. americanallis var. variegata, C. glauca, 'Chesapeake' - Longwood Hybrid Canna, C. indica, C. x generalis, 'Lily Thai', 'Mrs. Pierre S. du Pont', 'Phasion' Tropicanna® - Variegated Canna, 'Red Futurity', 'Striata' - Variegated Canna, 'Striped Beauty' - Variegated Canna
Tags:
#hummingbird friendly#bulb#showy flowers#full sun tolerant#water garden#rain garden#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#fall flowers#perennial bulbs#pink flowers#red flowers#moth caterpillar host#yellow flowers#showy leaves#colorful leaves#colorful#orange flowers#large leaves#riparian#fall interest#wetlands#mass planting#upright form#flower arrangements#stream banks#pond margins#moist soil#herbaceous#well-drained soil#rich soils#summer flowers#cream flowers#red stems#large flowers#pond garden#showstopper#attractive leaves#summer bulbs#variegated#groundcover#annual flowers#purple stems#summer interest#border planting#poolside planting#ccp#screening#fantz#poor soils tolerant#larval host plant#humidity tolerant#walkway planting#small group plantings#wet soils tolerant#loamy soils tolerant#clay soils tolerant#annual bulb#ebh#difficult to grow#ebh-g#tropical feel#container plant#annual#landscape plant sleuths course#hedge#wildlife friendly#accent
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Black Knight'
    4'-6' tall, red flowers and smoky purple foliage, strong stalks
  • 'Brandywine' - Longwood Hybrid Canna
    3' tall, heavily blooming red flowers, green foliage with red leaf margins
  • C. americanallis var. variegata Canna americanallis 'Bengal Tiger'
    C. glauca Canna glauca
  • 'Chesapeake' - Longwood Hybrid Canna
    4' tall, yellow flowers that fade to white over time, green foliage
  • C. indica Plant
    C. x generalis Cannas in the landscape
  • 'Lily Thai'
  • 'Mrs. Pierre S. du Pont'
    4' tall, pink flowers with green foliage
  • 'Phasion' Tropicanna® - Variegated Canna
    4'-6' tall, orange flowers, leaves are green with red and yellow streaks
  • 'Red Futurity'
  • 'Striata' - Variegated Canna
    5' tall, orange flowers, green leaves with cream colored streaks
  • 'Striped Beauty' - Variegated Canna
    3'-5' tall, yellow buds open to cream colored flowers with pink bracts, green leaves with yellow streaks, requires overwintering
'Black Knight', 'Brandywine' - Longwood Hybrid Canna, C. americanallis var. variegata, C. glauca, 'Chesapeake' - Longwood Hybrid Canna, C. indica, C. x generalis, 'Lily Thai', 'Mrs. Pierre S. du Pont', 'Phasion' Tropicanna® - Variegated Canna, 'Red Futurity', 'Striata' - Variegated Canna, 'Striped Beauty' - Variegated Canna
Tags:
#hummingbird friendly#bulb#showy flowers#full sun tolerant#water garden#rain garden#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#fall flowers#perennial bulbs#pink flowers#red flowers#moth caterpillar host#yellow flowers#showy leaves#colorful leaves#colorful#orange flowers#large leaves#riparian#fall interest#wetlands#mass planting#upright form#flower arrangements#stream banks#pond margins#moist soil#herbaceous#well-drained soil#rich soils#summer flowers#cream flowers#red stems#large flowers#pond garden#showstopper#attractive leaves#summer bulbs#variegated#groundcover#annual flowers#purple stems#summer interest#border planting#poolside planting#ccp#screening#fantz#poor soils tolerant#larval host plant#humidity tolerant#walkway planting#small group plantings#wet soils tolerant#loamy soils tolerant#clay soils tolerant#annual bulb#ebh#difficult to grow#ebh-g#tropical feel#container plant#annual#landscape plant sleuths course#hedge#wildlife friendly#accent
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Canna
    Family:
    Cannaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Cannas are used in agriculture as a rich source of starch for human and animal consumption.
    Life Cycle:
    Bulb
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Tropical east and west Africa, Central and South America
    Wildlife Value:
    Cultivars with red blooms attract hummingbirds. Host plant for Brazilian Skipper caterpillar and moth.
    Play Value:
    Attractive Flowers
    Colorful
    Screening
    Wildlife Food Source
    Wildlife Larval Host
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    Tolerates drought, poor soil, wet soil, heat, and humidity.
    Bulb Storage:
    For Zones 6 & 7, harvest rhizomes in fall, dry, and store in dry peat or vermiculite at 41-50 degrees F (5-10 degrees C). Mulch in Zone 8.
    Edibility:
    Canna root is a source of edible starch.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Bulb
    Perennial
    Habit/Form:
    Clumping
    Erect
    Maintenance:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Wet
    Available Space To Plant:
    12 inches-3 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Green
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
    Fruit Length:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    A 3-valved, prickly capsule, often warted. Many rounded seeds with very hard endosperm.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Cream/Tan
    Gold/Yellow
    Orange
    Pink
    Red/Burgundy
    Variegated
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Panicle
    Raceme
    Spike
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Lipped
    Flower Petals:
    2-3 rays/petals
    Colored Sepals
    Flower Size:
    3-6 inches
    Flower Description:
    Gladiolus-like flowers that bloom atop erect stems sheathed in large paddle-shaped leaves. What appears to be the petals are actually modified stamens. Available in many colors: rose, pink, red, yellow, orange, salmon, and bicolored. Terminal, bracteated raceme. Asymmetrical, bold carotenoid pigments of red to orange to yellow; sepals 3, short, glaucous. petals 3, narrow, united into a basal tube; staminodes (petal-like stamens) 4, three broadly obovate overtopping petals, showy, one with remenant of anther sac or minute lobe; stamens 1, petaloid with solitary marginal anther. Typically blooms from July to October.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Gray/Silver
    Green
    Purple/Lavender
    Red/Burgundy
    Variegated
    Leaf Feel:
    Fleshy
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Leaf Type:
    Sheath
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Rosulate
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Lanceolate
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are large, broad, pinnately nerved, with a distinct midrib. Alternate, simple, sheathing, 2-ranked, gigantic, to 2' long x 4-12" wide, green to reddish-purple, or yellowish variegated; blade broad elliptic to lanceolate, acute, broadly cuneate to round, entire. May have a glaucous coating. Foliage colors vary from shades of green or bronze to striped/variegated and provide ornamental value when plants are not in flower.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Purple/Lavender
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Erect, 1-5' tall, often reddish-purple.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Container
    Pond
    Pool/Hardscape
    Riparian
    Vertical Spaces
    Walkways
    Landscape Theme:
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    Rain Garden
    Water Garden
    Design Feature:
    Accent
    Border
    Hedge
    Mass Planting
    Screen/Privacy
    Small groups
    Attracts:
    Hummingbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Heat
    Humidity
    Poor Soil
    Salt
    Wet Soil