Family | Cannaceae

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Canna or canna lily is the only genus of flowering plants in the family Cannaceae, consisting of 10 species. Cannas are not true lilies, but have been assigned to the order Zingiberales in the monocot clade Commelinids, together with their closest relatives, the gingers, spiral gingers, bananas, arrowroots, heliconias, and birds of paradise.

Canna leaf

Cannas are one of the most popular garden plants internationally. They are tropical or subtropical so they will survive being placed in a boggy area. A close cousin, ginger, is edible as is the canna. With proper preparation they produce a starch suitable for noodle preparation. Throughout the world the seeds are used for dyes, musical instrument, and jewelry, Leaves are utilized to make paper, rope and fermented to make alcohol. 

Cannas can be found with red, orange, and yellow flowers and green or maroon leaves

Dallas Arboretum, fall 2019                                                       photograph by Catherine Hyden

Canna

Dallas Arboretum, fall 2019                                                       photograph by Catherine Hyden

Cannaa

Dallas Arboretum, fall 2019                                                       photograph by Catherine Hyden

Canna

I have several varieties of canna. One is Picasso and it is a dwarf variety. I like the colorization on this flower. It does look as though paint was splattered.

Watercolor effect

All material © 2022 by Jeanette Hyden

for 

 ~ Grassroots Horticulture ~

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MARANTACEAE FAMILY

Thalia                                                              

Commonly known as hardy water canna, powdery alligator flag, or powdery thalia (Thalia dealbata). According to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, it is found in southeastern lowland regions from South Carolina to Missouri. Thalia is found in boggy areas and swamps and likes an organic loamy soil.

References.                                                                        

Geddes-Brown, Leslie. The Water Garden. London: Merrell, 2008. Print.

Paul, Anthony, and Yvonne Rees. The Water Garden. London: Frances Lincoln, 2001. Print.

Lang, Susan, and T J. Williams. Water Gardens. Menlo Park, Calif: Sunset Pub, 2004. Print.

May, Peter J. Designing and Creating Water Gardens. Ramsbury: Crowood, 2004. Print.

Himmelhuber, Peter. Water Gardens & Natural Pools: Design & Construction. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub, 2009. Print.

Whitley, James R, Barbara Bassett, Joe G. Dillard, Rebecca A. Haefner, and Bernadette Dryden. Water Plants for Missouri Ponds. Jefferson City, Mo: Missouri Dept. of Conservation, 1999. Print.

Albano, Pierre-Olivier. Discover Banana Trees: And Alpinia, Canna, Curcuma, Etlingera, Hedychium, Heliconia, Ravenala, Strelitzia, Thalia, Zingiber . Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône: Edisud, 2005. Print.

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©  2021 Hyden Photography for

Grassroots Horticulture

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Hardy Water Canna

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Water Feature Gardening 

CREATING interest in a water garden

Commonly known as hardy water canna, powdery alligator flag, or powdery thalia (Thalia dealbata).  According to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, it is found in southeastern lowland regions from South Carolina to Missouri. Thalia is found in boggy areas and swamps and likes an organic loamy soil.

Family | Zingiberaceae

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Gardening | Plant ID

The Ginger family

I have been experimenting with root plants. Gingers and turmeric are exotic. The foliage dies back but returns in the spring. Variegated ornamental ginger is a favorite so I have added this to the culinary ginger and turmeric. Variegated varieties abound in my garden basically drawn to add interest in a “dark” shady garden of native oak trees.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Zingiberaceae, the ginger family is a family of flowering plants made up of about 50 genera with a total of about 1600 known species of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes distributed throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Many of the family's species are important ornamental, spice, or medicinal plants. Ornamental genera include the shell gingers (Alpinia), Siam or summer tulip (Curcuma alismatifolia), Globba, ginger lily (Hedychium), Kaempferia, torch-ginger Etlingera elatior, Renealmia, and ginger (Zingiber). Spices include ginger (Zingiber), galangal or Thai ginger (Alpinia galanga and others), melegueta pepper (Aframomum melegueta), myoga (Zingiber mioga), korarima (Aframomum corrorima), turmeric (Curcuma), and cardamom (Amomum, Elettaria).

ZINIBER                                         

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine.

Ginger

1896 color plate from
                          Köhler's Medicinal Curcuma              

Curcuma                                            

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Curcuma longa, Turmeric is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and high annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are gathered each year for their rhizomes, some for propagation in the following season and some for consumption.

Curcuma alismatifolia, Siam tulip, is not related to tulips (tulipa). It grows well in climates with hot, high-humidity summers. The plant prefers sun to part shade and mildly acidic to neutral, moist, well-drained soil. Although this variety is more drought tolerant than most, especially in partial shade, Curcuma needs consistent moisture throughout the growing season in full sun and should never be allowed to dry out.

Curcuma alismatifolia
Holland Bulb company

Alpinia

Variegated shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet)

Alpinia zerumbet, commonly known as shell ginger among other names, is a perennial species of ginger native to East Asia. 

Ornamental shell ginger, Alpinia zerumbet 'Variegata'

I grow this successfully in my woodland garden (zone 7b)

Hedychium                                                     

White Ginger Lily  (Hedychium coronarium)

The White ginger plant can reach five feet tall and in late July and through August produces a very fragrant white flower.  The scent is as lovely as the flower. 

                                                                                                                                                                                            

All material © 2024 by Hyden Photography

for 

Grassroots Horticulture

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