Louisiana Canna (Canna glauca)

Uses

Root - cooked. The starch can be extracted and used as an arrowroot^[5]^[9]^[10]. The arrowroot is obtained by rasping the root to a pulp, then washing and straining to get rid of the fibres^[5]. Very young tubers can be eaten cooked, they are sweet but fibrousy. One report suggests that the fruit may be edible but gives no further details^[4]. As far as I know the fruit is a dry capsule[K].

Plant part: Fruit

Plant part: Root

Environment

Range

S. America. W. Indies.

Habitat

Margins of marshes, swamps, ponds, and wet ditches; 0--100 metres^[8].

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

no shade

Water

moderate

Hardiness

Zone 10+

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay

Soil pH

acid, neutral, alkaline

Drainage

well drained

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

Drought

intolerant

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and sow February/March in a warm greenhouse at 20°c^[1]^[3]. Plant the seeds 2 - 5cm deep in individual pots^[1]. Scarifying the seed can speed germination, especially if the seed has not swollen after being soaked[124, K]. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 9 weeks^[3]. Grow the plants on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of the root clump as the plant comes into growth in the spring. Each portion must have at least one growing point. Pot up the divisions and grow them on in the greenhouse until they are well established and then plant them out in the summer. Root cuttings.

Cultivation

Requires a deep rich well-drained soil in a sunny position^[6]. The plant has large leaves and dislikes windy conditions since this can tear the leaves to shreds^[6]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, it succeeds outdoors in S. Devon^[2], but even there it should be given a good protective mulch over the winter^[1]. Plants can be grown as summer bedding in many parts of the country, the tubers can be dug up in the autumn after being lightly frosted. They can be stored over winter in a cool but frost-free place in moist soil or leaves^[1]. Slugs love the young growth in spring and can cause serious damage to plants^[7].

References

F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

RHS. The Garden. Volume 111. Royal Horticultural Society 1986-00-00

↩

Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989-00-00

↩1 ↩2

Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

↩

Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

↩1 ↩2

Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5