Canna indica Seeds

Grow Canna indica from seed for bold tropical foliage and bright red to orange flowers. Each packet contains 10 seeds of Canna indica, a species in the family Cannaceae, commonly known as Indian shot or African arrowroot.

Also known as: Indian shot, African arrowroot, Canna lily, Sierra Leone arrowroot, Achira, Balisier, Indisches Blumenrohr and Canna edulis.

Canna indica is a rhizomatous perennial native to the tropical Americas and now widely naturalised in warm regions around the world, including India. Plants usually reach 1–2 m, with large broad leaves up to about 50 cm long and upright spikes of narrow-petalled flowers through the warm season. The flowers are followed by spiny capsules containing hard, round, black seeds; their resemblance to shot pellets gives the plant its common name.

Sowing

The seed coat is very hard, so it must be opened before sowing. Carefully nick or file the seed coat on one side until the pale interior just shows, then soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours. Sow about 1–2 cm deep in moist, free-draining compost and keep at roughly 21–25 °C. Seedlings usually appear within one to three weeks after scarification. Untreated seeds may take many months to germinate.

Growing

Plant out in full sun once nights stay warm, in rich, moisture-retentive soil. Cannas grow quickly with regular watering and feeding and also suit large containers and pond margins. They are frost-tender: in tropical and subtropical climates they can stay in the ground all year, while in colder regions the rhizomes should be lifted after the foliage is blackened by the first frost and stored dry and frost-free until spring.

Seed-grown plants may vary naturally in height, leaf colour, and flower shade.