This Canna plant, brought from a village near Sirisi, was planted in our apartment parking area on November 3, 2022. It was barely a foot high.
Canna, also called as Indian Shot, is a wild plant, doesn't need much care but it needs to be watered regularly like any other plant. This picture was shot two months later i.e. in the first week of Jan 2023. I have liked Canna since my childhood days. I remember using its leaves as little plates. Canna leaves are similar to banana leaves hence it is safe to eat from it. Canna has several names in Kannada such as Hoodingana, Charegundinagida, Sarvajaya and Kelaahoovu. The last one literally means banana-flower. In northern Karnataka it is commonly known as Kaadabaaligida, roughly meaning wild-banana-plant.
Initially, development seemed slow but the plant developed its roots first, from which sprouted another plant. Then in the third week of Feb 2023, it flowered for the first time. To the right of the Canna flower is another type of Canna, its leaves are slightly smaller. The second variety's flowers are smaller, it's petals are a narrow and long.
A closer look at our red-orange Canna Lily.
This flower stays fresh for 2 or 3 days, then drops away. Green pods with seeds grow in place of the flower. The pods turn brown or black as they mature. Its seeds are hard little black balls. Apparently this is one of the seeds used as beads in jewelry.
Memories of this simple little plant goes back to my childhood days. Firstly as kids we used used to look for its flowers, pluck them along with their long stems and then knock of the flower with a finger. It was a kids game. This plant is found all over Karnataka, it just grows on its own, its a wild plant.
The second memory is its leaves possess medicinal properties. Once I was hurt, a superficial wound on my leg. One of the girls in our group plucked a few leaves of this plant, crushed them and pressed the pulp letting the leafy juice fall into my wound. Apparently the plant's sap is antiseptic. This wonderful plant is known as cost-button or tridax daisy or Tridax procumbens in Eglish. In Kannada it's called Jayanthi Gida or Gabbusanner Savanthi.
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| leaves & a young bud |
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| blooming bud |
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| fully developed flower |
I have grown a few of this plants in my hanging garden. Its nice to see the dark green leaves, its stalky flowers sway in slightest of breezes. Once the flowers dry, they become a little spiky ball, easily dispersible by air.
