Know your alien invasive plant: Garden canna
Hillcrest Conservancy will produce weekly articles regarding the various alien invasive plant species in the Highway area to help the community identify and eliminate them.
THIS week, Hillcrest Conservancy, takes a look at the garden canna, as part of its series of articles on alien invasive plants, to help the community to identify and eradicate them from their gardens.
This is one invader that I am sure you have all either seen or have in your garden right now. Its common name is Indian shot or Garden canna, in Afrikaans tuinkanna or Indiese kanna and in iZulu udumbedumbe.
Description: This is a perennial shrub with erect, leafy shoots 1-2m high. It has large green or purple-bronze leaves sheathing the stem. The narrow flowers are red or orange, usually yellow below and the plant produces green, spiny fruits.
Where does this species come from? One would expect this plant to have been introduced from India but you would be wrong as it was introduced as an ornamental plant from the Caribbean and tropical America.
What is its invasive status in South Africa? It falls into Category 1b of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act so this means it must be removed from your garden as it forms dense spreading clumps which when left unattended eliminates our indigenous species.
How does it spread? Much like the ginger plant this spreads by seed and underground rhizomes. The seeds are sometimes used as beads in jewellery.
Contact Ian Pattrick on 079 909 5458, Hillcrest Conservancy chairman, George Victor, on 073 901 3902 or e-mail georgevic@telkomsa.net
