Morphological characters and geographic distribution are the same as those for the family.

Source: [
• 9
]. 

Herbs, rhizomatous, 1--2[--5] m, forming small to large monotypic stands. Leaves green [bronze or magenta in hybrids and cultivars], often glaucous [lanuginose]; blade narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 20--70 cm ´ 15--30 cm, base gradually or abruptly tapered, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences: peduncles green [magenta], often glaucous; bracts green [magenta], often glaucous; primary bracts to 30 cm, secondary bracts to 20 cm; floral bracts 0.5--3 ´ 0.3--1.5 cm, papery. Flowers nearly sessile, subtended by pedicel bract; sepals usually green [magenta], often less than half size of petals; petals sharply reflexed or not, green or brightly colored, 4--15 cm, generally shorter than staminodes; staminodes pale yellow to deep crimson red; labellum 3--9 ´ 4--10 cm; ovary green [magenta]. Capsules brown, 1.5--6 ´ 2--4.5 cm, warty, becoming papery. Seeds 5--25[--75] per capsule, medium to dark brown or black, 4--10 ´ 4--8 mm.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

CANNA L.

Características de la familia.

1. Plantas glaucas; flores amarillo pálidas ... C. glauca

1. Plantas no glaucas; flores rojas a amarillas

2. Brácteas persistentes; pedicelos 2–10 mm de largo; flores 4.5–7.5 cm de largo; vainas glabras ... C. indica

2. Brácteas caducas; pedicelos 5–30 mm de largo; flores 6.5–9 cm de largo; vainas lanuginosas ... C. tuerckheimii

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Mediocre to fairly massive, leafy, rhizomatous herbs; leaves spiral, relatively large, with an eligulate sheath; inflorescence racemiform or paniculate, bracteate, the bracts usually subtending a cicinnus of 2 more or less showy, usually brightly colored perfect flowers; sepals 3, free, more or less foliaceous or petalaceous, es- sentially equal; petals 3, nearly equal, more or less connate at the base; fertile stamen 1, petaloid, bearing a solitary marginal anther, more or less connate at the base with the somewhat petaloid style, a petaloid anterior (labellum) and 2-3 showy posterior staminodia; ovary inferior, 3-celled, conspicuously warty or spiny-fimbriate, containing numerous ovules; fruit a rather large warty or spiny- fimbriate capsule finally opening by the collapse of the pericarp; seeds round and very hard.

Source: [
• 12
]. 

Hierbas perennes; tallo rizomatoso. Hojas simples, dísticas, que parecen pecioladas, con vainas abiertas.Infl. un tirso terminal, con cincinos poco floreados; brácteas persistentes o caducas. Fls. bisexuales, asimétri-cas; miembros del perianto diferenciados en 2 verticilos; sépalos 3, separados; pétalos 3, connatos basalmente;estambre 1, el filamento petaloide, la antera marginal, con una sola teca; estaminodios 1–5, petaloides, uno in-terno frecuentemente reflexo, el estambre, los estaminodios y el estilo basalmente connatos en un tubo; pistilo1, compuesto; ovario ínfero, trilocular, tuberculado; óvulos numerosos por lóculo; placentación axilar; estilopetaloide, con un área estigmática marginal en el ápice. Fr. una cápsula tuberculada; semillas numerosas, sub-globosas, muy duras.

Source: [
• 13
]. 

Description as for the family.

Source: [
• 8
]. 

SELECTED REFERENCES

Bailey, L.. H. 1924. Manual of Cultivated Plants. Missing data. Where published?? Donahue, J. W. 1965. History, breeding and cultivation of the canna. Amer. Hort. Mag. 44: 84--91. Gade, D. W. 1966. Achira, the edible canna, its cultivation and use in the Peruvian Andes. Econ. Bot. 20: 407--415. Segeren, W. and P. J. M. Maas. 1971. The genus Canna in northern South America. Acta Bot. Neerl. 20: 663--680. Tomlinson, P. B. 1961. The anatomy of Canna. J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 56: 467--473. Young, A. M. 1982. Notes on the interaction of the skipper butterfly Calpodes ethlius (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) with its larval host plant Canna edulis (Cannaceae) in Mazatlan, State of Sinaloa, Mexico. J. New York Entomol. Soc. 90(2): 99--114.

Source: [
• 10
].