CANNA INDICA FLOWER: PART 2

On June 5, 2026, I published one of my blog posts on “An Unforgettable Flower.”  It was an example of Canna indica, about 3 feet tall, with a few red and yellow flowers, and was growing in my neighbor’s yard.

Recently, I was walking by the same neighbor’s yard and I spotted yet another similar plant that had a large all-red flower. It took some research to discover that this “new” all-red flower is a variety of Canna indica. Nevertheless, I decided to write up a new post and include an image of this additional example (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Canna indica, in a neighbor's front yard. 

Also, I recently visited a nearby garden nursery, and I recognized yet another example of this plant, and I was able confirm that this plant can reach up to 8 feet tall. I include an image of the top part of that particular flower (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Canna indica at a local commercial garden nursery. The  entire plant was about 8 feet tall--estimated.

Classification

Kingdom Plantae

Clades (6 of them!)

Order Zingiberales

Family Cannaceae

Genus Canna

Type Species C. indica

I also did some new research about Canna indica  which is native to much of South America and Central America. In the following text, I present my latest findings:

Canna indica is a perennial, hardy plant that has now been introduced successfully into many countries, including much of Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, southeast Asia, Australia, many Pacific islands, and the southeastern USA. It also definitely grows well here in southern California.  

Some countries look upon this beautiful flower as an invasive plant. It thrives in temperate, tropical, or subtropical climates, as well as in mountain climates, between 3,300 and 6,000 feet.

This plant is also known as “Indian Shot.” That is because its seeds are small, black pellets that resemble shotgun pellets.