Description
Canna edulis
This subtropical plant, which grows happily in most temperate areas too, is a most fantastically multi-functional plant. Rather a lot of confusion exists around the botanical classification of cannas though, so we’re going to concentrate on its uses first, and if you’re interested in the the taxonomy you’ll just have to keep reading to the end!!
Achira produces a large rhizome that has long been used as a food in the Andes as it contains a highly digestible starch. In ideal conditions and if left to grow for a couple of years, the rhizomes can grow up to a metre long and weigh up to 30kg! They can be eaten raw or cooked. In Peru the roots are baked for up to 12 hours then becoming a white, translucent, fibrous and somewhat mucilaginous mass with a sweetish taste. Near Cusco, Achira is cultivated and harvested especially to be eaten during the Festival of Corpus Christi. The rhizomes are wrapped with the leaves and slowly baked underground in an umu. The roots do not need to be peeled before or after baking. Once cooked they are slit and the soft, shiny starchy content scooped out.
The young shoots of the plant can also be cooked and eaten as a green vegetable, and in South America the leaves are used to wrap pastries such as tamales (similar to how banana leaves are used). The immature seeds can also be eaten cooked, and are added to tortillas in their native lands. In areas of India, cannas are fermented to produce alcohol.
The crop is more commonly grown these days as a source of ‘canna starch’ or arrowroot, and is sometimes known as “Queensland arrowroot” because it was once grown in Australia on a large scale. It still provides an important source of income for Andean communities, where in some villages it is the main cash crop. The starch has very large grains, the largest known of any plant, about three times the size of potato starch grains – they can even be seen with the naked eye. They can be easily separated from the fibre of the root by rasping the root to a pulp, then washing and straining to get rid of the fibres. In Columbia the starch is processed into a gluten -free flour to make crackers called Achiras or bizcochos de achira. In Vietnam, canna starch is used to make cellophane noodles known as miến dong.
As well as being consumed by humans, all parts of the plant can provide really useful animal fodder for chickens, cattle etc. And cannas also provide a host of other functions in addition to their edible uses. In some parts of the world the dried seeds are used as beads in jewellery and in rattles and musical instruments, and they also yield a purple dye. The plant also yields a fibre from the stem, which is used as a jute substitute, and from the leaves, used for making paper. Smoke from the burning leaves is said to have insecticidal properties.
Cannas have a high tolerance to contaminants and can be used in constructed wetlands to process greywater and even industrial waste such as that from paper mills.
In the permaculture garden cannas can be amazing, provided they have enough moisture to grow well. If this is the case you can expect them to provide plentiful chop and drop biomass for mulch, mini windbreaks, shade for smaller plants, weed barriers, and planted on contour they can help to retain moisture and prevent erosion.
Finally, if you’re after the perfect gift, cannas are a traditional present for Father’s Day in Thailand!
Cannas are easy to grow and generally disease free although slugs and snails love them! The introduction of ducks to our nursery was something of a breakthrough in managing to keep leaves hole-free! They can be grown in most soil types and in sun or part shade but they do prefer rich, moisture-retentive soils. In very hot dry areas they should be given some shade and regular water, and can be grown in pots with the bottom sitting in water throughout summer if need be.
Being subtropical the plants are somewhat frost tender. However the leaves can tolerate a minor frost, and the rhizomes can tolerate down to -10 degrees C if well mulched. In very cold conditions the rhizomes can be dug up and overwintered inside then replanted in spring.
So back to the taxonomy! Canna is a genus of plants indigenous only to the Americas. It is known as Canna Lily but it’s not a lily, it’s in the order of Zingiberales which includes ginger and bananas. Cannas were spread from the Americas to Asia and thence back to Europe. In the process much confusion has arisen about the naming of the species. Wikipedia states that Canna indica, achira, indian shot, edible canna and arrowroot are one and the same, as does the seed seller Trade Winds Fruit. Encyclopaedia Brittanica’s entry reads
Edible canna, or Indian shot (Canna indica), and achira (C. discolor) have edible starchy rhizomes and are grown agriculturally in some places; the latter is sometimes listed as a synonym of C. indica.
The American website EatTheWeeds.com explains their own findings:
Cannas are native to the warm areas of the Americas. They were taken to warm areas of southeast Asia, then called the East Indies. From there they went to Europe. The first named species was Canna indica, which means Canna from India. In those days that meant from the West Indies but that was overlooked and the notion arose that the Canna was from the East Indies rather than the West Indies. More so, indica today mean from India not the West Indies. Subsequent botanists “discovered” Canna in Africa and Asia thinking it came from the India. Then they were “discovered” in the Americas, for a second time. It would be centuries before there was general agreement that Canna are native Americans and that scores of different Canna species was probably only one score. Canna indica roots are edible, too, as are the rhizomes of Canna coccinea. C. indica It looks similar to Canna edulis but is shorter and has brighter red flowers.
The internationally renowned permaculturalist Morag Gamble (Check out her ‘Our Permaculture Life’ blog ), who uses the plants extensively, concurs, stating that
Canna edulis is different from both the ornamental cannas (Canna indica) grown for flowers, and Indian Shot Canna which has the spiky seedpods with big black seeds.
She says that neither of these have the big purple-skinned edible rhizomes of the Achira. And Achira only has the occasional little red flower.
Our plants do indeed have purple rhizomes so we’re happy we’re selling you the right product! We also have to confess we’ve never tried eating them, so we’re keen to hear if you have!
Certified organic plant in PB5 (2 litre)
