Canna indica

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Photographs by: Dr. Maulik Gadani

  • Botanical Name : Canna indica L.
  • Synonyms : Canna orientalis Roscoe, Canna pallida Roscoe
  • Common Name : Indian Shot, Dev Ked, Bajarbattu
  • Plant Family : Cannaceae
  • Plant Form : Herb
  • Occurrence (Sectors) : 1-30
  • Occurrence (Special Areas) : Gujarat Forestry Research Foundation, Indroda Park, Ayurvedic Udyan, Punit Van, Sarita Udyan, Van Chetana Kendra, Infocity, Aranya Van

About Canna indica Plant :

  • Habit : Mesophytictall herb, reaching a height of 3-4 feet with fibrous root system.
  • Stem : An underground rhizome, scale leaves present; many aerial branches arise from the rhizome.
  • Leaves : Cauline, sessile, alternate, elliptic lanceolate, acuminate, leaf base sheathing, simple, exstipulate, ligulate, lamina large, broad, entire; venation pinnately parallel.
  • Inflorescence : Raceme or a panicle.
  • Flowers :
    • Pedicellate or sessile, bracteate, bracteolate, complete, trimerous, zygomorphic, bisexual and hypogynous.
    • Flowers large, bright coloured, yellow or red.
    • Perianth consists of 6 tepals, arranged in two whorls of 3 each, outer whorl sepaloid, green, free or connate at the base; imbricate aestivation. Inner whorl is petaloid, large, connate at the base, brightly coloured with imbricate aestivation.
    • Androecium is greatly modified, 6 stamens arranged in two whorls of 3 each. All of them are reduced to staminodes except the posterior one of the inner whorl.
    •  All the staminodes and half of the fertile stamen ispetaloid.
    • Outer 3 stamiodes are free, imbricate whereas 1-2 staminodes of the inner whorl roll on and form the labellum.
    • The fertile stamen has only half portion fertile which is attached to its half portion which is sterile and petaloid.
    • Ovary inferior, tricarpellary, syncarpous, trilocular with many ovules in each locule on axile placenta.
    • Ovary green and warted.Style single and petaloid.Stigma small, oblique.
  • Fruit : Diplostegia, trilobed, warty.
  • Seed : Many, very hard, rounded black.
  • Flowering and Fruiting Time : Throughout the year.
  • Significance : Cultivated commonly in all gardens everywhere.