Canna Agriculture Group
Encyclopedia
The Canna
Agriculture
Group
contains all of the varieties of Canna used in agriculture. Canna achira
is a generic term used in South America to describe the cannas that have been selectively bred for agricultural purposes, normally derived from C. discolor
. It is grown especially for its edible rootstock
from which starch
is obtained, but the leaves and young seed are also edible, and achira was once a staple foodcrop in Peru
and Ecuador
.
Many more traditional varieties exist worldwide, they have all involved human selection and so are classified as agricultural cultivars. Folk lore states that Canna edulis Ker-Gawl.
is the variety grown for food in South America, but there is no scientific evidence to substantiate the name. It is probable that this is simply a synonym of C. discolor, which is grown for agricultural purposes throughout Asia.
In the Andes, the rhizome can be harvested within 6 months from planting out and the yields range from 13 - 85 tonnes per hectare, with 22 - 50 tonnes being average, though larger yields are obtained after 8 – 10 months. In Queensland, Australia they are able to obtain a yield of 5-10 tons of C. 'Queensland Arrowroot' tubers per acre.
Most cultivated forms do not produce fertile seed. There are also sterile triploid forms, these contain a significantly higher proportion of starch, though their cropping potential is not known.
for cattle and pigs and it is grown for this purpose in Tropical Africa and Hawaii
, where it is harvested 4–8 months after planting. The foliage of Agricultural Canna is also used for its silage making properties, which are superior to those of corn.
and also in Vietnam
and southern China
, where the starch is used to make cellophane noodles
.
. The starch is obtained by rasping the rhizome to a pulp, then washing and straining to get rid of the fibres. This starch is very digestible. The very young rhizomes can also be eaten cooked, they are sweet but fibrousy. The rhizome can be very large, sometimes as long as a person's forearm. In Peru the rhizomes are baked for up to 12 hours by which time they become a white, translucent, fibrous and somewhat mucilaginous mass with a sweetish taste. The starch is in very large grains, about three times the size of potato starch
grains, and can be seen with the naked eye. This starch is easily separated from the fibre of the rhizome.
Young shoots - these can be cooked and eaten as a green vegetable and are quite nutritious, containing at least 10% protein.
Seeds - the immature seeds are cooked in fat in tortillas.
Canna (plant)
Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
Group
Cultivar group
In naming cultivated plants, a Group is a formal classification category, under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants :The term "Group" was introduced in the 2004 ICNCP, replacing the "Cultivar-group" of the 1995 ICNCP.A Group is united by some common trait; for example...
contains all of the varieties of Canna used in agriculture. Canna achira
Canna (plant)
Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
is a generic term used in South America to describe the cannas that have been selectively bred for agricultural purposes, normally derived from C. discolor
Canna discolor
Canna discolor also known as Achira in Colombia is a species of the Canna genus, belonging to the family Cannaceae, 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...
. It is grown especially for its edible rootstock
Rootstock
A rootstock is a plant, and sometimes just the stump, which already has an established, healthy root system, used for grafting a cutting or budding from another plant. The tree part being grafted onto the rootstock is usually called the scion...
from which starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
is obtained, but the leaves and young seed are also edible, and achira was once a staple foodcrop in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
Farming varieties
There are some named agricultural varieties, and published comparative studies have involved:
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Canna indica
Canna indica L. is a species of the Canna genus, belonging to the family Cannaceae, a native of the Caribbean and tropical Americas that is also widely cultivated as a garden plant...
is the variety grown for food in South America, but there is no scientific evidence to substantiate the name. It is probable that this is simply a synonym of C. discolor, which is grown for agricultural purposes throughout Asia.
In the Andes, the rhizome can be harvested within 6 months from planting out and the yields range from 13 - 85 tonnes per hectare, with 22 - 50 tonnes being average, though larger yields are obtained after 8 – 10 months. In Queensland, Australia they are able to obtain a yield of 5-10 tons of C. 'Queensland Arrowroot' tubers per acre.
Most cultivated forms do not produce fertile seed. There are also sterile triploid forms, these contain a significantly higher proportion of starch, though their cropping potential is not known.
Animal fodder
The rhizomes and leaves are good fodderFodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
for cattle and pigs and it is grown for this purpose in Tropical Africa and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where it is harvested 4–8 months after planting. The foliage of Agricultural Canna is also used for its silage making properties, which are superior to those of corn.
Human consumption
Canna is still grown for human consumption in the AndesAndes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
and also in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where the starch is used to make cellophane noodles
Cellophane noodles
Cellophane noodles are a type of transparent noodle made from starch , and water.They are generally sold in dried form, boiled to reconstitute, then used in soups, stir fried dishes,...
.
Edible qualities
Rootstock - actually a rhizome, this can be eaten either raw or cooked. It is the source of canna starch which is used as a substitute for arrowrootArrowroot
Arrowroot, or obedience plant , Bermuda arrowroot, araru, ararao, is a large perennial herb found in rainforest habitats...
. The starch is obtained by rasping the rhizome to a pulp, then washing and straining to get rid of the fibres. This starch is very digestible. The very young rhizomes can also be eaten cooked, they are sweet but fibrousy. The rhizome can be very large, sometimes as long as a person's forearm. In Peru the rhizomes are baked for up to 12 hours by which time they become a white, translucent, fibrous and somewhat mucilaginous mass with a sweetish taste. The starch is in very large grains, about three times the size of potato starch
Potato starch
Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain starch grains . To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed; the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells...
grains, and can be seen with the naked eye. This starch is easily separated from the fibre of the rhizome.
Young shoots - these can be cooked and eaten as a green vegetable and are quite nutritious, containing at least 10% protein.
Seeds - the immature seeds are cooked in fat in tortillas.
See also
- CannaCanna (plant)Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
- List of Canna species
- List of Canna cultivars
- List of Canna hybridists
- Canna Leaf RollerCanna Leaf RollerCannas are largely free of pests, but in the USA plants sometimes fall victim the Canna Leaf Roller, which can actually be two different insects. Larva of the Brazilian skipper butterfly , also known as the Larger Canna Leaf Roller, cut the leaves and roll them over to live inside while pupating...
- Canna virusCanna virusThe Canna genus is susceptible to certain plant viruses, which may result in spotted or streaked leaves, in a mild form, but can finally result in stunted growth and twisted and distorted blooms and foliage...
- Canna rustCanna rustCanna rust is a fungal disease of canna caused by Puccinia thaliae. Symptoms include orange spots on the plant's leaves and stems. In advanced stages of infection, the upper leaf-surface spots coalesce, turn dark brown-to-black and finally the infected leaves become dry and fall.-Control:When Canna...
- Japanese beetleJapanese beetleThe beetle species Popillia japonica is commonly known as the Japanese beetle. It is about long and wide, with iridescent copper-colored elytra and green thorax and head...
External links
- Arrowroot, James M. Stephens, University of Florida
- plants for a Future - Canna Edulis
- Plants for a Future - Canna indica
- Reappraisal of Edible Canna as a High-Value Starch Crop in Vietnam
- Nobuyuki Tanaka, The utilization of edible Canna plants in southeastern Asia and southern China
- Nobuyuki Tanaka, Naoyoshi Inouch, and Tetsuo Koyama. Edible Canna and its Starch: An Under-Exploited Starch-Producing Plant Resource
- Progress in the Development of Economic Botany and Knowledge of Food Plants.
- Polyploidy in Cannas
- More polyploidy in Cannas