canna lily
Canna ×hybrida Rodigas
Garden cannas combine a perennial underground rhizome with tall leafy shoots and conspicuous flowers. The familiar hybrid name Canna ×generalis is treated by Kew as a synonym of Canna ×hybrida. Cultivated forms include green, purple and striped foliage, with red, orange, yellow, pink or creamy flowers. Kew POWO: Canna ×generalisNC State Extension: Canna ×generalis
Botanical name
Canna ×generalis L.H.Bailey is a synonym of Kew’s artificial hybrid Canna ×hybrida Rodigas. The account retains hybrid scope. Kew POWO: Canna ×generalisKew POWO: Canna ×hybrida
Recognizing the plant
Their broad leaves build an upright, tropical-looking clump, while conspicuous flowers rise above the foliage. Both leaf colour and flower colour vary among cultivars. The Flora of Thailand describes the hybrid group as having especially large floral parts and broad staminodes, the petal-like sterile stamens that contribute much of a canna flower’s showiness. Beneath the ground, rhizomes provide the perennial structure. The North Carolina account describes plants reaching about 1.8 metres tall. Flora of Thailand via WFO: Canna generalisNC State Extension: Canna ×generalis
Seasonal development
North Carolina Extension cultivation account
In North Carolina cultivation, flowers appear through summer. Rhizomes can overwinter outdoors in warmer climates; in colder ones they are lifted and stored away from frost. NC State Extension: Canna ×generalis
Native range
Kew classifies this as an artificial hybrid. Its origin lies in cultivation rather than in a single wild native range. Kew POWO: Canna ×hybrida
Botanical sources
- Kew POWO: Canna ×generalis
- Kew POWO: Canna ×hybrida
- Flora of Thailand via WFO: Canna generalis
- NC State Extension: Canna ×generalis
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.