€ A N N A. ' 72a 
•ffter ones ere&, larger than the calyx ; the three inner 
ones larger than the outer, two ereft, one reflefted, 
and thus conftituting the upper lip. Neftary petal-like, 
two-parted, of the length and figure of the petals; the 
upper divifion afcending, the inferior revolute, imitating 
the lower lip of a corolla. Stamina : filament none ; an- 
therae linear, growing to the upper margin of tfie divifion 
Which bears the neflary. Piftillum : germ roundifli, rug¬ 
ged, inferior; flyle Angle, enfiform, growing to the an¬ 
ther-bearing neftary, lanceolate, of the length and figure 
of a petal; fiigtna linear, growing to the margin of the 
fly le. Perianthium : capfulc roundifli, rugged, crowned, 
three-grooved, three-celled, three-valved. Seeds few, 
globular .—FJfevtiaL Ckaratter. Corolla, fix-parted, erect; 
lip tivo-parted, revolute; fly le'lanceolate, growing to the 
corolla ; calyx three-leaved. 
1. Canna Indica : leaves ovate, acuminate at both ends 
nerved. This.plant has a thick, fiefiiy, tuberous, root, 
which divides into many irregular knobs, fprcading wide 
near the furface of the ground, fending out many large 
ovate leaves without any order ; thefe at their firfl appear¬ 
ance, are twilled like a horn, but afterwards expand and are 
near a foot 1> ng, and five inches broad in the middle, lef- 
fening gradually to both ends, and terminating in points. 
They have many large tranfverfe veins running from the 
midrib to the fides, which are prominent on their under 
fide ; and between each of thefe run two fmaller, parallel, 
pointed veins, which are peculiar to this fpecies. The 
Hulks are herbaceous, riling four feet high, encom- 
pafied by the broad leafy foot-flalks of the leaves; thefe 
are compreffed on two fides ; at the upper part of the 
dalle the flowers are produced in loofe fpikes, each being 
at firft covered by a leafy hood, which afterwards Hands 
below the flower, and turns to a brown colour. Each 
flower has one petal, yvhich is cut almofl to the bottom 
into fix (lender fegments, the three upper broadefi ; thefe 
are of a pale red colour". The flower is encompalled by a 
three-leaved calyx, which fits upon a (mall roundifli 
rough germ, which, after the flower is fallen, fwells to 
a large fruit or capfule oblong and rough, having three 
ldngitudinal furrows, and is crowned by the three-leaved 
calyx of the flower which remains. When the fruit is 
ripe, tire capfule opens lengthways into three cells, 
which are filled with round, hard, black, fliining feeds. 
"The principal feafon of thefe plants flowering, 5 s in June, 
July, and Auguft. There are three varieties, i. Canna 
latifolia. This grows naturally in Carolina, and fome of 
the other northern provinces of America. The leaves are 
longer than thofe of the former, and terminate in fharper 
points. The ftalks grow taller, and the fegments of the 
flower are much narrower; the colour being a pale red, 
it makes no great appearance. The feeds are like thofe 
of the former, ii. Canna coccinea, or fcarlet Indian reed. 
This has larger leaves than either of the former ; and thofe 
near the root have long foot-flalks. The flowers are pro¬ 
duced in larger fpikes than thofe of the former,'and are of 
a much brighter fcarlet. The feed-velfels are longer, and 
the feeds larger, iii. Cannalutea, or yellow Indian reed. 
This is lefs common in America than either of the former. 
Two varieties arife from the feeds, one with a plain yel¬ 
low and the other with a fpotted flower, which are apt 
to change from one to the other, when propagated by feeds. 
This has fhorter and rounder leaves than either of the 
former. The ftalks feldom rife higher than three feet, 
and the fpikes of flowers are like thofe of the firft, ex¬ 
cepting the colour of' the flowers. Gerard informs us 
that in his time, it was in the garden at Padua, &c. that 
he had planted it in his garden divers times, but it never 
came to flowering; and that it muff be fet or fown in a 
pot with fine earth, or in a bed made of horfe-dung, in 
fuch manner as cucumbers and mufk melons are. Par- 
kinlon fays, that in Come kindly years this beautiful plant 
Jias borne its brave flowers, but never any ripe feed ; and 
that it will not abide the extremities of our winters, iinlefs 
jt meet with a (love or hot-koufe, fuch as are ufed in 
Vol. III. No. i 5 S. 
Germany : for neither lioufe nor cellar- will preferve it. 
Clufius law it flowering by lioufe fides in Spain and Por¬ 
tugal : and fays that the inhabitants there life the feeds for 
making their rofaries. It is found wild within the tropics 
on all the continents. 
1. Canna anguflifolia, or narrow-leaved Indian reed; 
leaves lanceolate, petioled, nerved. This is fcarcely to 
be diflinguiflied from the fird^ and therefore he wit* 
would confider it as a variety would hardly be miflaken r 
It is however lower and narrower. The three inner pe¬ 
tals are emarginate, as in that; but one of the lateral petals 
in this is fo bent as to become the middle one. Within the 
tropics in America, in fiiady fpongy places. 
3. Canna glauca: leaves lanceolate, petioled, nervelefs. 
The roots of this are much larger than either of the for¬ 
mer forts, and fir ike down flrong fleflty fibres deep in the 
ground. The ftalks rife feven or eight feet high. The 
leaves are near two feet long, narrow, fmootb, and of a 
fea-green colour. The flowers are produced in iliort thick 
fpikes at the extremity, are large, and of a pale yellow- 
colour; the fegments of the petal are broad, but their 
fltape like thofe of the other forts. The feed-veffels are 
larger, and much longer than thofe of the other forts, but 
contain fewer feeds, which are very large. Cultivated in 
1732 at Eltham bv James Sherard, M. D. Mr. Miller re¬ 
ceived the feeds of this from Carthagena in New Spain, in 
the year 1733, which produced very flrong plants the firfl 
year, and fome of them flowered the fame autumn. 
4. Canna fl.accida ; leaves narrow, lanceolate, fmooth 
and even on both fides ; inner limb of the cololla five-.deft, 
fegments flaccid obovate, the inmoft larged. Four feet 
high or more, very much refembling the preceding, with 
which it is often confounded in our doves. Native of 
South Carolina, where it was found by Bartram. 
5. Canna juncea : leaves linear nerved. Leaves 
refembling grafs, with five raifed nerves, fheathing 
at the bale, near the root covered with capillary fibres, 
a fpan or a foot in length. It was difeovered in China by 
Bladh. 
Propagation and Culture. All the forts arc propagated 
by f&eds, which fnould be fown on a hot-bed in the 
fpring; and, when the plants are fit to remove, they 
fliould be tranfplanted into feparate frnall pots, filled 
with rich kitchen-garden earth, and plunged into a 
moderate hot-bed of tanners-bark, obferving to fhad$ 
them till they have taken root ; after which, they 
fliould have alargefhare of free air admitted to them cvety 
day in warm weather, and be frequently refreflied with 
water. As thefe plants will make great progrefs in their? 
growth, they muft be (hifted into larger pots filled with 
the fame fort of earth, and part of them plunged into the' 
het-bed again ; and the others may be placed abroad in 
June, with other exotic plants, in a warm fituation. Thofe 
which are placed in the hot-bed, will be fire-ng enough to 
flower well in the dove the following winter ; but thofe 
in the open air, will not flower before the following dim¬ 
mer. Thefe may remain abroad till the beginning or Oc¬ 
tober, when they muft be removed into the dove, and 
treated in the fame manner as the old plants : and in May, 
a gentle hot-bed fliould be made, covered a foot thick 
with rich earth, and the plants turned out of the pots* 
planting them with their balls of earth upon the hot-bed, 
covering each with a belhglafs, which may be raifed on 
one fide every day to admit air to the plants ; and, as they 
advance, they muft -be gradually inured to bear the open 
air. With this management the plants will grow much 
taller, and flower ftronger, than thofe which are kept in 
pots ; and from thefe good feeds may be expected in 
autumn. Thefe plants will continue many years with pro¬ 
per management; but, as young plants always flower bet¬ 
ter than the old roots, it is fcarcely worth while to conti¬ 
nue them after they have borne good feeds. As the fuff 
fort is a native of the warmeft.parts of Anlerica, it requires 
to be placed in a moderate dove in winter, otherwife the 
roots will decay. It has been frequently tried to keep 
8 Z' tket& 
