Canna flaccida
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 Canna flaccida, only yellow, lightly perfumed canna.
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| Canna flaccida Salisb. |
Canna flaccida is a species of the Canna genus, a member of the family Cannaceae. Indigenous to the wetlands of south-eastern USA. It was a parent to many of the early-hybridised cannas known as orchid flowered cannas. It grows well as a water canna. Originally described by the early American explorer, William Bartram, when he found these plants blooming near the rivers of coastal Georgia. The seed floats down the rivers and becomes easily established on shorelines. Introduced to England in 1788.
It is a perennial growing to 1.5m. It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. In the north latitudes it is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite.
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[edit] Synonyms
Canna angustifolia, Bandana of the Everglades, Golden Canna
[edit] Taxonomy
In the last three decades of the 20th century, Canna species have been categorised by two different taxonomists, Professor Paul Maas (and his wife Dr. Hiltje Maas) from Holland and Dr. Nobuyuki Tanaka from Japan. In this case both agree that C. flaccida is a distinct species, and the DNA work by Prince and Kress at the Smithsonian Institute confirms its uniqueness.
[edit] Canna flaccida Salisb.
It is aquatic species, with narrow, blue-green (glaucous) leaves, very pretty, large, canary yellow flowers growing in clusters at the tops of long stalks. The lip of the flower is wavy. Flowers emerge at night and wither in the heat of the following day. It grows as a marginal plant in up to about 15cm of still or slow-moving water.
[edit] References
- Johnson's Gardening Dictionary of 1856.
