PlantFiles: Canna
Canna altensteinii

Large paddle-shaped green leaves, height to 7 feet here, clusters of two-inch tubular flowers, pink at base shading to apricot. Large puffy seed pods.

Nice canna, especially for tropical foliage impact. The flowers have a subtle appeal and the plant is best grown where you can examine the blooms close up.

Plants were originally grown from seed and flowered in their first season

By summer's end I had a nice clump from one little seed.
Very tropical looking canna with nice big leaves, height, and bright blooms. The hummers enjoyed this canna, too.

Seed bought from Chiltern Seeds Uk this year, 1 germinated from 8 sown, soaked 2 days, placed in a propagator in April, then in a cold shady greenhouse in summer. Germinated late in the season, but grew quickly. It looks like a double from 1 seed. At present overwintering inside. The only other source I could find on this was a nursery mentioned in the RHS Plant Finder 2003-04, Table Bay View Nursery, Cape Town. To quote the seed catalogue:

"Probably new to cultivation in these islands is this magnificent Canna species. Found in the wild along the banks of rivers and streams, it is a stately, substantial (12-15ft) plant - with sheer bulk....clump forming with stout stems sporting a wealth of large (3'x1.5') apple-green leaves. It bears numerous clusters of small, exotic blooms soft apricot in colour, flushed pink at the face and with a recurved lower petal. Although cold tolerant and can be grown outdoors in the UK in full sun in the manner of dahlias and lifted in winter for frost-free storage, it will perform best......in your conservatory. In any case, water and feed copiously."