''Canna discolor'' also known as ''Achira'' in
Colombia is a species of the
''Canna'' genus, belonging to the family
Cannaceae
''Canna'' or canna lily is the only genus of flowering plants in the family Cannaceae, consisting of 10 species.The Cannaceae of the World, H. Maas-van der Kamer & P.J.M. Maas, BLUMEA 53: 247-318 Cannas are not true lilies, but have been ass ...
, found naturally in the range from South Mexico to Colombia, widely introduced elsewhere. It is a perennial growing to 3m. 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
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have ...
.
More than other ''Canna'' species, ''C. discolor'' is used extensively in
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
. It grows high yields of very large
rhizomes
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
, sometimes the size of a man's arm, exceedingly rich in
starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
.
Synonyms
* ''C. achiras''
* 'Brick Canna'
Taxonomy
In the last three decades of the 20th century, ''Canna'' species have been categorised by two different
taxonomists
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...
,
Paulus Johannes Maria Maas
Paulus Johannes Maria "Paul" Maas (born 27 February 1939, in Arnhem) is a botanist from the Netherlands and a specialist in the flora of the neotropics. Maas has identified and named about two hundred fifty plants from the Burmanniaceae, the Costus ...
from the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Nobuyuki Tanaka
is an economic botanist at the Tokyo Metropolitan University, the Makino Botanical Garden in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan.
Tanaka is an expert on the family Cannaceae, and in 2001 published a revision of the family Cannaceae in the New World and As ...
from Japan. Inevitably, there are differences in their categorisations.
Maas considers ''Canna discolor'' to be a synonym of ''C. indica'' L., however, Tanaka's studies have revealed that ''C. indica'' can be clearly distinguished from other taxa, as a result he recognises several varieties:
;''Canna discolor'' var. ''discolor'' (Lindl.) Nb.Tanaka, 2001
A triploid, sterile both ways.
;''Canna discolor'' var. ''rubripunctata'' Nb.Tanaka, 2001
Green leaves with yellow flowers and many red spots. Seed parent sterile.
;''Canna discolor'' var. ''viridifolia'' Nb.Tanaka, 2001
No details available.
See also
*
Canna
Canna may refer to:
Places
* Canna, Western Australia, a locality in the Shire of Morawa, Australia
* Canna, Calabria, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cosenza, Italy
* Cannae, a ''frazione'' in the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, Ita ...
*
List of Canna species
''Canna'' species have been categorised by two different taxonomists in the course of the last three decades. They are Paul Maas, from the Netherlands and Nobuyuki Tanaka from Japan.Tanaka, N. (2001) Taxonomic revision of the family Cannaceae i ...
*
List of Canna cultivars
References
* Cooke, Ian, 2001. The Gardener's Guide to Growing cannas, Timber Press.
* Johnson's Gardeners Dictionary, 1856
* Tanaka, N. 2001. Taxonomic revision of the family Cannaceae in the New World and Asia. Makinoa ser. 2, 1:34–43.
External links
Kew Gardens, Checklist of plant familiesNobuyuki Tanaka, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Tetsuo Koyama and Jin Murata;
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3926943
discolor