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Canna edulis - Ker-Gawl.

Achira

Author	Ker-Gawl.	Botanical references	1, 200
Family	Cannaceae	Genus	Canna
Synonyms	Canna achiras - Gill. Canna esculenta - Lodd.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	S. America. W. Indies.
Habitat	By the coast and in temperate valleys of the Andes[97]. Usually found at the edges of moist thickets or in ditches[196].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 3m by 1m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Cultivated Beds; South Wall By; West Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root; Seed.

Root - raw or cooked[2, 22, 196]. It is the source of 'canna starch' which is used as an arrowroot[1, 46, 171, 183]. The arrowroot is obtained by rasping the root to a pulp, then washing and straining to get rid of the fibres[2]. This starch is very digestible[196]. The very young tubers can also be eaten cooked[61, 105, 142, 177], they are sweet but fibrousy[97, K]. The root can be very large, sometimes as long as a person's forearm[196]. In Peru the roots are baked for up to 12 hours by which time they become a white, translucent, fibrous and somewhat mucilaginous mass with a sweetish taste[183, 196]. The starch is in very large grains, about three times the size of potato starch grains, and can be seen with the naked eye[183, 196]. This starch is easily separated from the fibre of the root[196]. The roots contain about 25% starch[61]. The dry matter contains about 75 - 80% starch, 6 - 14% sugar, 1 - 3% protein, it is high in potassium, low in calcium and phosphorus[196]. Young shoots - cooked and eaten as a green vegetable[183, 196]. Quite nutritious, containing at least 10% protein[196]. The immature seeds are cooked in fat tortillas[183].

Composition

Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.

Leaves (Fresh weight)

• 0 Calories per 100g
• Water: 0%
• Protein: 10g; Fat: 0g; Carbohydrate: 0g; Fibre: 0g; Ash: 0g;
• Minerals - Calcium: 0mg; Phosphorus: 0mg; Iron: 0mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Potassium: 0mg; Zinc: 0mg;
• Vitamins - A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 0mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0mg; Niacin: 0mg; B6: 0mg; C: 0mg;
• Reference: []
• Notes: 

Root (Dry weight)

• 0 Calories per 100g
• Water: 0%
• Protein: 3g; Fat: 0g; Carbohydrate: 80g; Fibre: 0g; Ash: 0g;
• Minerals - Calcium: 0mg; Phosphorus: 0mg; Iron: 0mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Potassium: 0mg; Zinc: 0mg;
• Vitamins - A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 0mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0mg; Niacin: 0mg; B6: 0mg; C: 0mg;
• Reference: []
• Notes: 

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

Size; Starch.

The starch from the roots is sometimes used as a laundry starch or for sizing[196].

Cultivation details

Requires a deep rich well-drained soil in a sunny position[1, 200]. Tolerates heavy soils[196]. The plant has large leaves and dislikes windy conditions since this can tear the leaves to shreds[200]. Requires ample water in the growing season[196]. Tolerates a pH range from 4.5 to 8[196]. This species is probably hardy in the mildest areas of Britain but even then it should be given a good mulch if left in the ground overwinter[1]. The top growth tolerates light frosts and plants can be grown in areas with winter snow[196]. The tubers can be harvested in late autumn after the top growth has been killed back by frost and stored over winter. They should be kept in a frost-free place covered in moist soil or leaves[1]. According to some botanists this species is no more than a synonym for C. indica[200]. Cultivated for its edible root in the Tropics, there are some named varieties[46, 196]. The root can be harvested within 6 months from planting out, though larger yields are obtained after 8 - 10 months[196]. In the British climate this probably means 2 years growth is required for good yields[K]. Yields in the Andes range from 13 - 85 tonnes per hectare, with 22 - 50 tonnes being average[196]. Plants are rarely troubled by pests or diseases[196]. Most cultivated forms do not produce fertile seed[196]. There are also sterile triploid forms, these contain a significantly higher proportion of starch though their cropping potential is not known[196]. Slugs love the young growth in spring and can cause serious damage to plants[233].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and sow February/March in a warm greenhouse at 20°c[1, 138]. Plant the seeds 2 - 5cm deep in individual pots[1]. Scarifying the seed can speed germination, especially if the seed has not swollen after being soaked[124, K]. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 9 weeks[138]. Grow the plants on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of the root clump as the plant comes into growth in the spring. Each portion must have at least one growing point. Pot up the divisions and grow them on in the greenhouse until they are well established and then plant them out in the summer. Root cuttings.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods. 0
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[97] Towle. M. A. The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru. 0
A very interesting book covering quite a lot of information on plant uses in S. America although many of the plants are not suitable for temperate areas..

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[124] RHS. The Garden. Volume 113. Royal Horticultural Society 1988
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including details on Podophyllum, Canna and Protea species.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[196] Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990 ISBN 0-309-04264-X
An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Canna edulis

Gina Fri Feb 16 2007

Bueno estoy intesada en saber mas sobre el cultivo de Achira, porque estoy haciendo mi tesis en este cultivo. La pagina esta interesante para los investigadores, gracias.

Canna edulis

Florence Anderson Mon Apr 28 2008

Very helpful, especially about eating the young leaves & seeds. Are these totally non-toxic? TUBER: I would be grateful for any tasty SAVOURY & SWEET recipes using the grated tubers. I have tried this, but without a recipe - mine wasn't too appetising.

Canna edulis

Anna Tue Mar 17 2009

This plant grows extremely easy in subtropical climates. However we rarely eat it as we haven't got any recipes. I am very interested in any, but especially the traditional Andean recipes. Ese planta crece facilmente en el clima subtropico. Pero casi nunca comemos achira proque no sabemos como cocinarlo. Estoy muy interesada tener recetas, especialmente los resetas tradicionales de los Andes.

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