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Cannaceae
Canna Lily
Canna
Confidence, glory, lasting beauty, optimism.
- Family
- Cannaceae
- Genus
- Canna
- Native to
- Tropical and subtropical Americas
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- rhizomatous perennial
- Height
- 0.5–3 m
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well-drained
- Water
- Regular and generous
- Hardiness
- 7–11 (lift in cold zones)
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Did you know
- Canna lilies are not true lilies — they're more closely related to gingers and bananas in the order Zingiberales.
- Canna rhizomes were a staple food crop of pre-Columbian indigenous peoples in the Americas, and are still cultivated for starch in places like Vietnam and Thailand.
- The seeds of canna are so hard they were once used as shotgun pellets and are still used as beads in jewelry.
- Canna pollination is unusual — the petals are actually modified stamens, and pollinators visit the flowers without ever touching the true reproductive parts.
- Cannas were Victorian favorites, but fell out of fashion until the 1990s when bold tropical garden styles brought them back.