Canna speciosa
Encyclopedia
Canna speciosa Hook. is a species of the Canna
genus, belonging to the family Cannaceae, a native of the tropical Americas. Introduced to England from South America in 1820, speciosa meaning 'showy'. (Johnson's Gardeners Dictionary, 1856).
It is a perennial growing to 2m. 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
.
from the Netherlands and Nobuyuki Tanaka
from Japan. Maas considers C. speciosa to be a synonym of C. indica L., however, Tanaka's DNA
assays demonstrate that the C. indica complex can be clearly distinguished from other taxa, as a result he recognises this as a separate species.
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...
genus, belonging to the family Cannaceae, a native of the tropical Americas. Introduced to England from South America in 1820, speciosa meaning 'showy'. (Johnson's Gardeners Dictionary, 1856).
It is a perennial growing to 2m. 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
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
.
Taxonomy
In the last three decades of the 20th century, Canna species have been categorised by two different taxonomists, Paulus Johannes Maria MaasPaulus Johannes Maria Maas
Paulus Johannes Maria Maas 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 Family , the Gentian Family , the Bloodwort Family , the Banana Family , the Olacaceae, the...
from the Netherlands and Nobuyuki Tanaka
Nobuyuki Tanaka
Nobuyuki Tanaka is an economic botanist at the Tokyo Metropolitan University, the Makino Botanical Garden in Kōchi prefecture, Japan and the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute , Japan....
from Japan. Maas considers C. speciosa to be a synonym of C. indica L., however, Tanaka's DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
assays demonstrate that the C. indica complex can be clearly distinguished from other taxa, as a result he recognises this as a separate species.
Canna speciosa (Roscoe) Hook.
C. speciosa is a tall, slender plant with an upright stem covered along its entire length with large, stalkless, gracefully arching leaves. The plant bears heads of striking, bi-colored flowers with scarlet petals and a conspicuous contrasting yellow throat. (D'Orbigny's Dictionnaire D'Histoire Naturelle 1849)External links
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 cultivarsCanna (Plant) GalleryThis is a gallery of named canna cultivars, representative of the various Canna cultivar groups. Names of cultivars are regulated by the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, are registered with an International Cultivar Registration Authority and conform to the rules of the...