Can anyone positively identify the plant in this photo ? Canna, about 6 foot tall, red flowers and fruit, dark stem and major leaf veins. Seeds smaller than Canna indica. Plants are growing on the edge of agricultural land in the Philippines. Thanks, Matt
Canna edulis 'Bronze Form'? http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/achira.htm http://www.ganeshvilla.com/plants/canna_edulis.htm HTH Chris
Thanks Chris, exactly what I have ! I don't know why some people group it with Canna indica, the seeds are much smaller and the plants usually taller. It is interesting that the plant seems to come from both Nepal and Mountainous South America. I guess we have to wait for someone to check the DNA for a better idea about the relationships.
Matthew: If you examine the dynamics of the forests in both areas, as well as how the continent compressed (Pangaea) you'll see that they used to occupy part of the same primordial forest areas near the equator. Thus, it's not surprising at all that Canna is on both continents. Oddly enough, Bananas (which are closely related to Canna) only evolved on the Old World continents. Of course, you can eat the fruits of most Canna as well, but they're really seedy. Particularly C. edulis.
