| Classification |
| Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order Type: Basal Angiosperms-Monocots
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Cannaceae
Family Common Name: Canna Family
Genera: Canna |
Defining Features: The diverse
morphology among species has caused some difficulty in classification at
the species level. At the family level, the Cannaceae differs from the
Zingiberaceae in lacking ligules that sheath the stem at the base of the
leaf.
Defining Morphology: Floral
Features: Flowers are zygomorphic and bisexual. Inflorescence is of large
flowers in a panicle or raceme. Each flower subtended by a bract. Nectaries
are in septa of ovary. Ovaries are inferior wit axile placentation. Fruit
and Seed Features: Monocotyledon. Fruit a warty capsule with persistent
sepals. Seeds are without an aril but endosperm present. Vegetative Features:
Habit as rhizomatous perennial herbs. Leaves are simple, entire and alternate
with spirally arranged. Leaf bases are sheathing the petiole, stipules
and ligules are lacking.
Distribution: Subtropical
regions of North and Central America and in the West Indies.
Economic Use: As garden ornamentals
and as the source of arrow root starch, grown commercially in Asia, Australia
and the Pacific regions and preferred for its easy digestibility (Canna
edulis). The plant is also used medicinally in some regions.
Number of Genera Globally:
1
Number of Species Globally:
9
