Canna edulis

Queensland arrowroot, edible canna or achira

Family Cannaceae

Canna edulis, Queensland arrowroot, edible Canna or achira (Can. edulis 1), is a robust perennial herb, 1-2 m high, with a purple stem and entire leaves, 30 cm long and purple beneath. The flowers are orange (Can. edulis 2), arranged in terminal inflorescences, irregular, with 6 stamens of which 5 are sterile and an inferior ovary. The branched rhizomes are up to half a meter long and are cultivated for starch, of which the grains are exceptionally large and contain about 25% starch.

Distribution
Edible Canna has a long record in the Andean region, where it was cultivated already 2500 BC, before the introduction of cassava and maize. Nowadays it is cultivated commercially in Australia and to a lesser extent in the West Indies and the Pacific.