''Canna glauca'' is a species of the
''Canna'' genus, a member of the family
Cannaceae. It is commonly known as water canna or Louisiana canna.
It is native to the
wetlands of tropical
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and was introduced to
England in 1730. It is also reportedly naturalized in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
Thailand,
Vietnam,
Java and the
Philippines.
Description
It is a perennial herb growing tall.
It has narrow, blue-green (glaucous) leaves, atop of which sit its large, delicate, and pale yellow flowers.
Distribution and habitat
''C. glauca'' is native to the southeastern and south-central
United States (
Texas,
Florida,
Louisiana and
South Carolina) as well as
Mexico,
Central America,
South America and the
West Indies. It is an aquatic species, growing as a marginal plant in up to about 15 cm of still or slow-moving water.
Taxonomy
Nobuyuki Tanaka, one of the leading researchers on genus ''Canna'', recognises two varieties of ''Canna glauca'': ''Canna glauca'' var. ''glauca'' and ''Canna glauca'' var. ''siamensis''
(Kraenzl) N.Tanaka. The latter variety widespread in South and Southeast
Asia, where it is supposed to have differentiated within the past few centuries.
Cultivation
The species prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The preferred soil is acid, neutral and basic (alkaline). It cannot grow in the shade and requires moist soil.
[Cooke, Ian, 2001. The Gardener's Guide to Growing cannas, Timber Press. ] 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.
[Johnson's Gardner's Dictionary (1856)]
Gallery
Canna glauca 03.jpg
Canna glauca 01.jpg
Canna glauca 02.jpg
Notes
External links
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: New Views: Language of Flowers: Canna glaucaPRINCE, LINDA M.* and W. JOHN KRESS. Smithsonian Institution, NMNH - Botany, MRC-166, Washington, DC 20560-0166. - Species boundaries in Canna (Cannaceae): evidence from nuclear ITS DNA sequence data.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3318493
glauca
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Flora of North America
Flora of South America
Flora of Central America
Flora of the Caribbean
Crops originating from Uruguay
Flora without expected TNC conservation status