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.
].
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:
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 |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 4.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
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.
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
