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Useful Tropical Plants

Canna tuerckheimii

Kraenzl.

Cannaceae


The name Canna tuerckheimii has been proposed for conservation, although some authorities still treat this species as Canna latifolia[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

+ Synonyms

Canna anahuacensis Kraenzl.

Canna curviflora Horan.

Canna gemella Nees & Mart.

Canna gigantea F.Delaroche

Canna iridiflora Willd.

Canna latifolia Mill.

Canna neglecta Weinm.

Canna sylvestris Roscoe

Canna violacea Bouché

Common Name:

Canna tuerckheimii
Flowers and leaves
Photograph by: Dick Culbert
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

General Information

Canna tuerckheimii is an erect, herbaceous, perennial plant producing clumps of stems up to 5 metres tall with large leaves up to 70cm long and 36cm wide. The stems arise from a large, tuber-like rhizome[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
]. With its large leaves sheathing a central stem, the plant has the appearance somewhat like a small banana plant.
The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for local medicinal use.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/

Range

Northwest S. America - Ecuador, Colombia; south through Central America to Mexico.

Habitat

Low thickets.

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height4.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Requires a deep rich well-drained soil in a sunny position[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. The plant has large leaves and dislikes windy conditions since this can tear the leaves to shreds[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Plants are fast-growing, and can produce a flowering shoot in their first year of growth from seed[
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].
Slugs love the young growth in spring and can cause serious damage to plants[
233
Title
Perennial Garden Plants
Publication
 
Author
Thomas. G. S.
Publisher
J. M. Dent & Sons, London.
Year
1990
ISBN
0 460 86048 8
Description
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The fresh bark of the roots is used as a diaphoretic and diuretic[
528
Title
Indicador de Madeiras e Plantas Uteis do Brasil.
Publication
 
Author
Fonseca E. T. De
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Officinas graphicas Villas-Boas & Co.; Rio de Janeiro
Year
1922
ISBN
 
Description
Brief details of some of the uses of Brazilian plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. The rhizome is used[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - the different species in this genus often hybridize and so seed cannot be relied upon to breed true. If growing from seed, pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and sow in the seeds 2 - 5cm deep in individual pots in light shade at 20°c[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
138
Title
Growing from Seed. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Bird. R. (Editor)
Publisher
Thompson and Morgan.
Year
1989
ISBN
-
Description
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
]. Scarifying the seed by carefully removing a small part of the outer shell (being careful not to harm the seed itself), to enable it to imbibe water can speed germination, especially if the seed has not swollen after being soaked[
124
Title
The Garden. Volume 113.
Publication
 
Author
RHS.
Publisher
Royal Horticultural Society
Year
1988
ISBN
-
Description
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including details on Podophyllum, Canna and Protea species.
,
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 9 weeks[
138
Title
Growing from Seed. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Bird. R. (Editor)
Publisher
Thompson and Morgan.
Year
1989
ISBN
-
Description
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
]. Grow the plants on until large enough to plant out.
Division of the root clump as the plant comes into growth. Each portion must have at least one growing point. Pot up the divisions and grow them on until they are well established and then plant them out.
Root cuttings.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Canna+tuerckheimii>

Comments

Denise De Peña 10th December 2016 12:42
In the highlands of Guatemala the leaves are used to wrap tamales. They are not actually consumed.

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