You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
Whether as Canna Lilies, Indian Shot, Queensland Arrowroot or just plain Cannas, most gardeners are familar with species of the Cannaceae genus or Canna family. They are a very popular ornamental with a practically endless range of showy hybrids, a long history as a source of beads for jewelry-makers & a lesser known potential as an important food crop. Love them or hate them, they are hardy & versatile plants with an interesting history & a big future.
Canaceae belongs to the Zingiberales order which also includes such familiar plants as plantains (commonly thought of as bananas), heliconias, strelitzias, the gingers & true arrowroot. The entire genus - consisting of around 27 species - hails from the Carribean, where cannas commonly grow along roadsides amongst bananas & taro. They are a perennial herb growing from 1 to 2 metres, depending on the species. Most commonly seen are ornamental hybrids (C. indica x generalis) featuring fluorescence ranging in colour from white, through yellow, pink & orange to red, visiting every imagineable hue & parti-colour en route. Similarly, there is a wide range of colour amongst canna foliage stretching from pale green to almost black, including a number of variegated varieties. The majority of these named cultivars are sterile in the sense that they do not produce seed, but are able to propogate themselves through the spread of branching rhizomes.
One of the tallest growing cannas - C. indica - flowers only red & is rarely chosen as an ornamental. This species was named by the famous botanist Carolus Linnaeus, under the mistaken impression that it originated in India. It has at least two historical synonyms, C. coccinea & C. lambertii. [1] As the mother of most hybrids it is an important species for breeders. Whilst cannas can be propagated by division of rhizomes, the production of seed & any new hybrid depends upon the availability of such a fertile strain.
C. indica pods & seed
One of C. indica's common names - Indian Shot - is derived from the fact that its seed is hard & spherical, much like the pellets fired from antique firearms such as muskets. There is no clear recorded use of the seed in this way, but it is certainly a possibility. Modern tests have shown that C. indica seeds fired from a 12 gauge shotgun will penetrate quarter inch plywood at close range. [1] Speculation aside, these same characteristics have seen the seed employed as one of the world's most popular natural beads for hundreds of years (home jewelry-makers, take note) [1][2][3]. In India for example, the seeds are traditionally harvested green & bored out before being left to harden. They are also used by Catholics who have a long tradition of drying flowers to make rosaries.[3] Similarly, these seeds are sometimes used to make musical instruments such as shakers.
Another canna species that has been intensively cultivated is C. edulis (syn. C. discolor), Achira or Queensland Arrowroot. C. edulis is one of the world's only two sources of arrowroot. Demand for this valuable starch has seen C. edulis grown as a crop in Queensland, Australia on a large scale. As a result, most Australians are familar with the taste of canna via arrowroot biscuits though this does little to illustrate the culinary importance of this starch or the potential of C. edulis as a major food crop of the future. Arrowroot is easily digested meaning it is ideal for children & convalescents, as well those afflicted with gluten intolerance. It is the highest quality thickener available for the production of sauces & gravies, plus a far superior substitute for gelatin in the making of crystal clear jellies & silky smooth ice cream. Loved by the British for over 100 years & grown large-scale in Australia & the West Indies, its is believed to have inspired Napoleon to once claim that England's love of arrowroot was born of a need to support its colonies.[1]
C. indica x generalis "Roma"
Importantly, C. edulis is a reliable, easily propagated crop that can be harvested twice annually. This fact combined with the high quality starch it produces means it has been singled-out by groups seeking solutions to present & future world hunger.[4] Whilst it has many, this potential to feed millions is easily the most notable aspect of the amazing canna family.
The latest chapter of our long romance with this plant is its use as one of the most varied & hardy of all ornamentals. Hybrid cannas are possibly the most consistent garden feature in the English speaking world & beyond. An uncountable array of ornamental cultivars have been bred over the last hundred or so years, many being re-invented & renamed several times over. Whether its the Italian hybrids you go for, Australian Zodiacs or America's eye-catching Tropicanas, there is a canna somewhere for everyone. It is the type of plant that one can love, become too familar with & through some new discovery of its amazing versatility & hardiness, learn to love all over again.
Pavlova: A classic arrowroot recipe
Ingredients (serves 6)
1 tbsp arrowroot flour
6 egg-whites
1 tsp cream/tartar
1 & 1/3 cups caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white vinegar
200ml pure cream
1 pnt strawberries
2 passionfruit
2 kiwi fruit
Preheat oven: 200°C. On a sheet of baking paper, draw a circle 20 - 30cm in diameter. Place face down on a baking tray. Dust with 1 tsp arrowroot flour.
In a large bowl, beat egg-whites & cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar (saving 1 tbsp), beating constantly until thick. Add remaining arrowroot flour & sugar. Fold through vanilla & vinegar to form a meringue.
Spoon meringue onto baking paper & using the pencil mark, shape it into a circle with a depressed centre. Reduce oven to 100°C. Bake for approx. 80 minutes or until dry & crisp. Turn off oven, open door & leave to cool. Don't worry if it sinks. Whilst it is cooling, slice strawberries & skinned kiwi fruit.
Slide baked meringue onto a serving plate. Spread with cream & top strawberries, kiwi fruit & passionfruit pulp. Dust with icing sugar if desired. Enjoy.
A life-long vegetarian, community gardener & member of Australia's SeedSavers network. I love plants both within the garden & in the wild. Trees are a special passion that I hope will prove infectious.
Posted by Philjarrah (from Outside Brisbane
(Australia)) on April 29, 2008 at 6:02 AM:
Hi Ian,
I live just Nth of Brisbane. Starting up a garden from scratch and have a soft spot for Canna's. Any links to specialist's and articles on the growing of Canna's.
Cannas fairly well look after themselves. The only real problem I have is containing them. They tend to go crazy & encroach on other plants unless they are bordered in. In that regard I have an over-supply of an apricot coloured Italian hybrid atm, that you can help me out with. If you Dmail me an address, I'll send a bunch of rhizomes to help get your garden started & give me some room. I also have a pile of C. indica seed that you can get growing pretty easy, so long as you scarify them. They would flower by next spring & being a natural strain, set seeds so you can cross them with your hybrids for a bit of fun. Just dmail if you are interested & good luck with your garden.
Ian
This message was edited Apr 30, 2008 6:46 AM
...
Subject: Your article was great
Posted by tabasco (from Cincinnati (Anderson, OH) on February 28, 2008 at 10:42 PM:
and your recipe was fabulous!!
Haven't thought of Pavlova in 30 years and it's about time we made one!
And while my interest in Pavlova is ancient, my love of Cannas is new! I just ordered a boxful from the Canna Co-op and so I'm so happy to learn all about them from your article!
...
Posted by GranvilleSouth on February 28, 2008 at 11:14 PM:
That's great. The recipe is the strictly traditional one over here. Whilst I was researching the article, I saw a huge array of different styles from all over the place. Its pretty adaptable if you don't have the same fruit available. Bon appetite.
...
Posted by tabasco (from Cincinnati (Anderson, OH) on February 29, 2008 at 10:22 AM:
But 'kiwi' is a must or it's not Pavlova!
...
Posted by GranvilleSouth on February 29, 2008 at 4:28 PM:
Yep, spot on Tabasco. I could or should have put sliced bananas in there too, but they brown too quickly IMO. Its great that you appreciate the strictly traditional version. Some of the English ones I saw were like a slice of meringue lost under a mountain of tropical fruit from about 5 different continents. It was interesting to see different takes on it & I reckon they each said something about the place they came from.
...
Subject: Fascinating article
Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 9:21 AM:
I learned so much from this article - thank you.
...
Posted by SCNewbie (from Anderson, SC) on February 28, 2008 at 9:48 AM:
Super article - Thank you!!!
...
Posted by debnes_dfw_tx (from Fort Worth, TX) on February 28, 2008 at 1:15 PM:
Beautiful article Ian..
The recipe sounds delicious! Thx!
debnes
...
Posted by frankford (from East Lansing, MI) on February 28, 2008 at 2:52 PM:
I enjoyed finding more about one of my favorite tropical plants. I have some of the older species type cannas as well as a couple of recent hybrid dwarfs that Kent Kelly created. Last year I discovered that through applying mulch to "Yellow Futurity" the plants would continue to flower for many weeks beyond the norm.Last summer I also tried an experiment with the other burdundy foilage canna. I planted these in a light shade and minimally watered them. My goal was to see if this canna could be used in the garden only for its foilage. I only gave it a small amount of nitrogen. Surprizingly enough the canna went through a hot summer without showing signs of wilt or sunscald. By the time frost came around they didn't bloom. My experiment proved sucessful.
...
Posted by GranvilleSouth on February 28, 2008 at 4:43 PM:
Thank you kindly. If the article is half as useful as some of the stuff that brought me here, I'm very happy. Interesting experiment Frankford, kind of opposite to why most grow the plant. In the Australian forums we have been talking about breeding them. They are a good plant to play around with.
...
Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on February 28, 2008 at 5:01 PM:
Very interesting, Ian. Great job. Seeds as ammo - nice to have a second use! Germinator instead of Terminator??
...
Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on February 28, 2008 at 6:12 PM:
Great debut, Ian, and lovely recipe, although i don't plan to grind my own arrowroot flour. My daughter can't eat wheat so I'm always interested to add more types of flour to the types she can use! xx, Carrie
...
Posted by GranvilleSouth on February 28, 2008 at 11:16 PM:
Hey Victor. I wondered a few times writing how many ppl had been shot by Canna seed over the years. I guess it must happened sometime. Wierd way to go out :) And I am really glad you picked that up Carrie. I once went out with a girl who had Coeliac disease so I made sure that was in there.
This message was edited Feb 28, 2008 11:19 PM
...
Posted by Illoquin (from Indianapolis, IN) on February 29, 2008 at 3:10 AM:
Very interesting article! Keep 'em coming!
In researching Cannas to buy from the DG Canna Coop (except for Arrowroot, my first foray into Cannas was a week ago!) I found a US site that had imported Australian Cannas from Bernard Yorke. I was tempted to buy just one and skip the coop, but decided it probably wasn't a smart decision to start with something so expensive since it would be my first time ever growing them. (although it was only $18.00US, so not all that expensive) :)
Suzy
...
Posted by GranvilleSouth on February 29, 2008 at 7:46 AM:
By coincidence Suzy, I just bought some of Yorke's Zodiacs on Ebay & planted them earlier this afternoon. Thankfully they were AU$6.50 for 3 rhizomes. Considering the price you mention, you made a wise decision IMO. His collections are nice, but not that nice. I am sure you can do better by looking around places like Ebay & swapping with other DG members. Around here, they grow wild invacant lots & places like that too, but I guess that depends on climate.
