Pink Stargazer Oriental Lilies in the front yard flower garden located in Mountjoy Township in the City of Timmins in Northeastern Ontario Canada

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 5663

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 17774

The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of 51 genera and around 3475 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana. They are among the basal families within the Poales and is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphyte Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and many desert-dwelling succulents. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss. Bromeliads are plants that are adapted to various climates. Foliage takes different shapes, from needle-thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky to soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is widely patterned and coloured. Leaf colours range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variations. 32415

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 4835

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 403

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 405

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 13021

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 11469

Scientific classification

Clade: Monocots

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Commelinids

Clade: Angiosperms

Tribe: Tradescantieae

Order: Commelinales

Clade: Tracheophytes

Family: Commelinaceae

Subtribe: Tradescantiinae

Subfamily: Commelinoideae

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 17639

The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of 51 genera and around 3475 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana. They are among the basal families within the Poales and is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphyte Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and many desert-dwelling succulents. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss. Bromeliads are plants that are adapted to various climates. Foliage takes different shapes, from needle-thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky to soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is widely patterned and coloured. Leaf colours range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variations. 24102

Trillium ovatum has several common names including Pacific trilliumm, western wakerobin, western white trillium, and western trillium.

The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of 51 genera and around 3475 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana. They are among the basal families within the Poales and is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphyte Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and many desert-dwelling succulents. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss. Bromeliads are plants that are adapted to various climates. Foliage takes different shapes, from needle-thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky to soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is widely patterned and coloured. Leaf colours range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variations. 23064

A tulip in bloom.

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Flowering time varies. Typically C. miniata, C. nobilis and C. caulescens flower in late winter and spring; in cultivation, C. miniata has out of season flowers at almost any time. C. gardenii and C. robusta flower in the autumn. Interspecific hybrids and cultivars can flower at almost any time of the year depending on climate and the flowering pattern of their parent species. A distinctive feature of Clivia – shared with the closely related genus Cryptostephanus – is that unlike most species in the subfamily, it does not form bulbs. The long strap-shaped leaves are evergreen and spring from thick branching roots or rhizomes. Like other members of the tribe Haemantheae to which it belongs, Clivia fruits are berries. When ripe, they contain large fleshy seeds which are often more than 1 cm in diameter. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 17506

Clavel del aire

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Plantae

(unranked):Angiosperms

(unranked):Monocots

(unranked):Commelinids

Order:Poales

Family:Bromeliaceae

Subfamily:Tillandsioideae

Genus:Tillandsia

Subgenus:Anoplophytum

Species:T. aeranthos

Photographed the Orange Tulips in one of the established flower gardens in the Gillies Lake Conservation Area in Timmins in the Township of Tisdale in the City of Timmins located in Northeastern Ontario Canada

©Copyright Notice

This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. The photos may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Flowering time varies. Typically C. miniata, C. nobilis and C. caulescens flower in late winter and spring; in cultivation, C. miniata has out of season flowers at almost any time. C. gardenii and C. robusta flower in the autumn. Interspecific hybrids and cultivars can flower at almost any time of the year depending on climate and the flowering pattern of their parent species. A distinctive feature of Clivia – shared with the closely related genus Cryptostephanus – is that unlike most species in the subfamily, it does not form bulbs. The long strap-shaped leaves are evergreen and spring from thick branching roots or rhizomes. Like other members of the tribe Haemantheae to which it belongs, Clivia fruits are berries. When ripe, they contain large fleshy seeds which are often more than 1 cm in diameter. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 40302

From the gardens of the Biltmore Estate, North Carolina. These are monocots -- flower parts are in threes. Possibly an Allium, I'm not sure.

Isn't God a great artist?

Thanks for looking.

• White freesia / wild freesia

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Plantae

(unranked):Angiosperms

(unranked):Monocots

Order:Asparagales

Family:Iridaceae

Subfamily:Ixioideae

Tribe:Ixieae

Genus:Freesia

Species:F. alba

Syn: Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba

Native to South Africa, Freesia alba is an herbaceous perennial growing from a corm. The species and hybrids are well known and popular on other continents.

Atlántida, Canelones, Uruguay

Yellow Lily blooming in the backyard garden located in Timmins in the Township of Mountjoy located in the City of Timmins in Northeastern Ontario Canada

©Copyright Notice

This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. They may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.

In Spathiphyllum, commonly known as the peace lily, the apparent white ‘flower’ is not a petal but a spathe: a modified leaf that turns white to highlight the spadix, the central structure where hundreds of tiny true flowers are clustered. This reproductive architecture is characteristic of the Araceae family and is shared with related genera such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium, all of which use the spathe–spadix combination as an effective strategy to attract pollinators.

En el Spathiphyllum, conocido como cuna de Moisés o lirio de la paz, la aparente ‘flor’ blanca no es un pétalo, sino una espata: una hoja modificada que se vuelve blanca para resaltar el espádice, la estructura central donde se agrupan cientos de diminutas flores verdaderas. Esta arquitectura reproductiva es característica de la familia Araceae y se repite en géneros emparentados como Monstera, Philodendron y Anthurium, que también combinan espata y espádice como un mecanismo eficaz para atraer polinizadores.

• Lirio de la paz, Cuna de Moisés, Espatifilo

• Peace lily, spath

Scientific classification:

Kingdom:Plantae

Clade:Tracheophytes

Clade:Angiosperms

Clade:Monocots

Order:Alismatales

Family:Araceae

Subfamily:Monsteroideae

Tribe:Spathiphylleae

Genus:Spathiphyllum

🌙️ Dedicated to my mother.

The plant I brought home on the day she was cremated. Weeks have passed, and now it blooms in her month.

Photographed the Allium Purple Sensation flowers in the Gillies Lake Flower Garden in the Gillies Lake Conservation Area in Timmins in the Township of Tisdale in the City of Timmins located in Northeastern Ontario Canada

©Copyright Notice

This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. The photos may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily.

They are herbaceous evergreen plants, with green, strap-like leaves. Individual flowers are more or less bell-shaped, occurring in umbels on a stalk above the foliage; colors typically range from yellow through orange to red. Many cultivars exist, some with variegated leaf patterns.

'Red Pineapple' 'Wild Pineapple'

'Abacaxi-Vermelho'

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Plantae

(unranked):Angiosperms

(unranked):Monocots

(unranked):Commelinids

Order:Poales

Family:Bromeliaceae

Subfamily:Bromelioideae

Genus:Ananas

Species:A. bracteatus

Stand with the people of Ukraine against the mad aggression!

Liriope, a common border plant, has lovely purple flowers that last quite a while. Note the six petals on the flower in the center of the photo. That shows that the plant is a monocot, which would be expected, from the grass-like leaves.

Thank you for looking! Isn't God a great artist?

Hippeastrum sp.

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Plantae

Clade:Angiosperms

Clade:Monocots

Order:Asparagales

Family:Amaryllidaceae

Subfamily:Amaryllidoideae

Tribe:Hippeastreae

Subtribe:Hippeastrinae

Genus:Hippeastrum

Washingtonia filifera grow ar the mouth of Kern River Canyon east of Bakersfield California. This monocot is native to California and likes to grow in wetlands or near to water. the canyon exposes granodiorite and other intrusive igneous rocks that are part of the Sierra Nevada Batholith.

Single flower macro shot

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Plantae

(unranked):Angiosperms

(unranked):Monocots

(unranked):Commelinids

Order:Poales

Family:Bromeliaceae

Subfamily:Bromelioideae

Genus:Billbergia

Spring bloom (Oct.2016)

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. R_17988

Francis Marion National Forest, Powerline easement next to frequently burned flatwoods. Steed Creek Rd. between Dog Swamp Rd. A and Cumbee Rd. Berkeley County, South Carolina

The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) is a family of monocot flowering plants of 75 genera and around 3590 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromeliaceae

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Flowering time varies. Typically C. miniata, C. nobilis and C. caulescens flower in late winter and spring; in cultivation, C. miniata has out of season flowers at almost any time. C. gardenii and C. robusta flower in the autumn. Interspecific hybrids and cultivars can flower at almost any time of the year depending on climate and the flowering pattern of their parent species. A distinctive feature of Clivia – shared with the closely related genus Cryptostephanus – is that unlike most species in the subfamily, it does not form bulbs. The long strap-shaped leaves are evergreen and spring from thick branching roots or rhizomes. Like other members of the tribe Haemantheae to which it belongs, Clivia fruits are berries. When ripe, they contain large fleshy seeds which are often more than 1 cm in diameter. Some species of Clivia, including Clivia miniata, produce small amounts of the alkaloid lycorine. Lycorine is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. R_2142

Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium

The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of 51 genera and around 3475 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana. They are among the basal families within the Poales and is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphyte Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and many desert-dwelling succulents. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss. Bromeliads are plants that are adapted to various climates. Foliage takes different shapes, from needle-thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky to soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is widely patterned and coloured. Leaf colours range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variations. 8874

Kingdom:Plantae

Clade:Tracheophytes

Clade:Angiosperms

Clade:Monocots

Order:Asparagales

Family:Iridaceae

Genus:Iris

Subgenus:Iris subg. Iris

Section:Iris sect. Iris

Species:I. croatica

Iris croatica

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_croatica

wiki.irises.org/TbPthruT/TbRecurringDelight

Colorado Springs, CO

Clivia /ˈklaɪviə/ is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily.

They are herbaceous or evergreen perennial plants, with green, strap-like leaves. Individual flowers are more or less bell-shaped, occurring in umbels on a stalk above the foliage; colors typically range from yellow through orange to red. Many cultivars exist, some with variegated leaf patterns.

Species of Clivia are found only in South Africa and Eswatini. They are typically forest undergrowth plants, adapted to low light (with the exception of C. mirabilis from the Western Cape).

Clivia shares common features with the other members of the subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Individual flowers have three sepals and three petals, all very similar (although the sepals are typically narrower than the petals) and collectively called tepals. In Clivia the tepals are fused at the base to form a tube, although this may be very short. The flower varies in shape from an open cup to a narrow hanging tube. In the species the flowers are mainly in shades of yellow through orange to red. The flowers are arranged in umbels (i.e. the flower-stalks or pedicels radiate from a single point); each umbel has a long stalk or peduncle. Several bracts subtend the umbels. Each flower has six stamens and an inferior ovary (i.e. one which is below the tepals) made up of three locules. The stamens have long filaments and anthers which are free to move on their filaments. The style is longer than the tepals, ending in a short three-part stigma.

Flowering time varies. Typically C. miniata, C. nobilis and C. caulescens flower in late winter and spring; in cultivation, C. miniata has out of season flowers at almost any time. C. gardenii and C. robusta flower in the autumn. Interspecific hybrids and cultivars can flower at almost any time of the year depending on climate and the flowering pattern of their parent species.

A distinctive feature of Clivia – shared with the closely related genus Cryptostephanus – is that unlike most species in the subfamily, it does not form bulbs. The long strap-shaped leaves are evergreen and spring from thick branching roots or rhizomes. Like other members of the tribe Haemantheae to which it belongs, Clivia fruits are berries. When ripe, they contain large fleshy seeds which are often more than 1 cm in diameter.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Red Trillium (Trillium erectum) - Picnic / Beach area, Rangeley State Park, Rangeley, Maine

Plantae Tracheophytes Angiosperms Monocots Liliales Melanthiaceae Trillium erectum "Trillium erectum" erectum erectum acuminatum atropurpureum atropurpureum atropurpureum blandum brevipedicellatum cahnae cahnae declinatum flavum giganteum horizontale luteum nigrescens pallidandrum parviflorum parvum rubrostriatum sessiloides sulcatum flavum foetidum nutans obovatum pendulum purpureum rhomboideum rhomboideum atropurpureum spatulatum album albiflorum rhomboideum album

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names are Natal lily or bush lily. It grows in woodland habitats in South Africa and Swaziland. It grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is a popular plant for shady areas. While native to South Africa, they grow in many countries. Flowers are red, orange or yellow. Yellow is much harder find than the common orange. Flowering time varies. Typically C. miniata, C. nobilis and C. caulescens flower in late winter and spring; in cultivation, C. miniata has out of season flowers at almost any time. C. gardenii and C. robusta flower in the autumn. Interspecific hybrids and cultivars can flower at almost any time of the year depending on climate and the flowering pattern of their parent species. A distinctive feature of Clivia – shared with the closely related genus Cryptostephanus – is that unlike most species in the subfamily, it does not form bulbs. The long strap-shaped leaves are evergreen and spring from thick branching roots or rhizomes. Like other members of the tribe Haemantheae to which it belongs, Clivia fruits are berries. When ripe, they contain large fleshy seeds which are often more than 1 cm in diameter. Some species of Clivia produce the alkaloid lycorine which is toxic in sufficient quantities, particularly in pets and small children. 17641

Canna (or Canna lily, although not a true lily) is a genus of approximately twenty species of flowering plants.[1][2] The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc

Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae. Such a family has almost universally been recognized by taxonomists. The APG II system of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, 1998) also recognizes the family, and assigns it to the order Zingiberales in the clade commelinids, in the monocots.

The species have large, attractive foliage and horticulturists have turned it into a large-flowered, brash, bright and sometimes gaudy, garden plant. In addition, it is one of the world's richest starch sources, and is an agricultural plant

Although a plant of the tropics, most cultivars have been developed in temperate climates and are easy to grow in most countries of the world as long as they can enjoy about 6 hours average sunlight during the summer. See the Canna cultivar gallery for photographs of Canna cultivars.

The name Canna originates from the Celtic word for a cane or reed

he plants are large tropical and subtropical perennial herbs with a rhizomatous rootstock. The broad, flat, alternate leaves, that are such a feature of this plant, grow out of a stem in a long narrow roll and then unfurl. The leaves are typically solid green but some cultivars have glaucose, brownish, maroon, or even variegated leaves

The flowers are composed of three sepals and three petals that are seldom noticed by people, they are small and hidden under extravagant stamens. What appear to be petals are the highly modified stamens or staminodes. The staminodes number (1–) 3 (–4) (with at least one staminodal member called the labellum, always being present. A specialized staminode, the stamen, bears pollen from a half-anther. A somewhat narrower, 'petal' is the pistil which is connected down to a three-chambered ovary

The flowers are typically red, orange, or yellow or any combination of those colours, and are aggregated in inflorescences that are spikes or panicles (thyrses). Although gardeners enjoy these odd flowers, nature really intended them to attract pollinators collecting nectar and pollen, such as bees, hummingbirds and bats. The pollination mechanism is conspicuously specialized. Pollen is shed on the style while still in the bud, and in the species and early hybrids some is also found on the stigma because of the high position of the anther, which means that they are self-pollinating. Later cultivars have a lower anther, and rely on pollinators alighting on the labellum and touching first the terminal stigma, and then the pollen

The wild species often grow to 2-3+ meters but there is a wide variation in size among cultivated plants; numerous cultivars have been selected for smaller stature.

Canna grow from swollen underground stems, correctly known as rhizomes, which store starch, and this is the main attraction of the plant to agriculture, having the largest starch particles of all plant life.[3]

Canna is the only member of the Liliopsida Class (monocot family) in which hibernation of seed is known to occur, due to its hard, impenetrable seed covering.

The genus is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the New World, from the southern United States (southern South Carolina west to southern Texas) and south to northern Argentina

Although all cannas are native to the New World, they have followed mankind's journeys of discovery and some species are cultivated and naturalized in most tropical and sub-tropical regions.

Canna cultivars are grown in most countries, even those with territory above the Arctic Circle, which have short summers but long days, and the rapid growth rate of Cannas makes them a feasible gardening plant, as long as they get their 6 hours of sunlight each day during the growing season and are protected from the cold of winter.

The first Cannas introduced to Europe were C. indica L., which was imported from the East Indies, though the species originated from the Americas. Charles de l'Ecluse, who first described and sketched C. indica indicates this origin, and states that it was given the name of indica, not because the plant is from India, in Asia, but because this species was originally transported from America: "Quia ex America primum delata sit"; and at that time, one described the tropical areas of that part of the globe as the Western Indies;[8] English speakers still call them the West Indies.

Much later, in 1658, Pison made reference[9] to another species which he documented under the vulgar or common name of 'Albara' and 'Pacivira', which resided, he said, in the shaded and damp places, between the tropics; this species is Canna angustifolia L., (later reclassified as C. glauca L. by taxonomists).[1]

Without exception, all Canna species that have been introduced into Europe can be traced back to the Americas, and it can be asserted with confidence that Canna is solely an American genus. If Asia and Africa provided some of the early introductions, they were only varieties resulting from C. indica and C. glauca cultivars that have been grown for a long time in India and Africa, with both species imported from Central and South America. Canna is an American genus, as pointed out by Lamarck were he argues that "Cannas were unknown to the ancients, and that it is only after the discovery of the New World, that they made their appearance in Europe; Since Canna have very hard and durable seed coverings, it is likely that seed remains would have survived in the right conditions and found by archaeologists in the Old World. If the soils of India or Africa had produced some of them, they would have been imported before the 1860s into European gardens.

* Some species and many cultivars are widely grown in the garden in temperate and sub-tropical regions. Sometimes, they are also grown as potted plants. A large number of ornamental cultivars have been developed. They can be used in herbaceous borders, tropical plantings, and as a patio or decking plant.

* Internationally, cannas are one of the most popular garden plants and a large horticultural industry depends on the plant.

* The canna rhizome is rich in starch, and it has many uses in agriculture. All of the plant has commercial value, rhizomes for starch (consumption by humans and livestock), stems and foliage for animal fodder, young shoots as a vegetable and young seeds as an addition to tortillas.

* The seeds are used as beads in jewelry.

* The seeds are used as the mobile elements of the kayamb, a musical instrument from Réunion, as well as the hosho, a gourd rattle from Zimbabwe, where the seeds are known as "hota" seeds.

* In remoter regions of India, cannas are fermented to produce alcohol.

* The plant yields a fibre - from the stem - it is used as a jute substitute.

* A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making paper. The leaves are harvested in late summer after the plant has flowered, they are scraped to remove the outer skin and are then soaked in water for 2 hours prior to cooking. The fibres are cooked for 24 hours with lye and then beaten in a blender. They make a light tan brown paper.

* A purple dye is obtained from the seed.

* Smoke from the burning leaves is said to be insecticidal.

* Cannas are used to extract many undesirable pollutants in a wetland environment as they have a high tolerance to contaminants.

Wild Canna species are the Cannas unaffected by mankind. There are approximately 20 known species, and in the last three decades of the 20th century, Canna species have been categorised by two different taxonomists, Paul Maas, from the Netherlands and Nobuyuki Tanaka from Japan. Both reduced the number of species from the 50-100 that had been accepted previously, and assigned most to being synonyms.

The reduction in numbers is also confirmed by work done by Kress and Prince at the Smithsonian Institution, however, this only covers a subset of the species range.

Cannas became very popular in Victorian times as a garden plant and were grown widely in France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

As tender perennials in northern climates, they suffered severe setbacks when two world wars sent the young gardening staff off to war. It took many years for the frugalities of war and its rationing subsequences to change to the more prosperous times of the late 20th century. We have recently experienced a renewed interest and revival in popularity of the Canna genus.

There were once many hundreds of cultivars but many of these are now extinct. In 1910, Árpäd Mühle, from Hungary, published his Canna book , written in higher German. It contained descriptions of over 500 cultivars.

In recent years many new cultivars have been created, but the genus suffers severely from having many synonyms for many popular ones. Most of the synonyms were created by old varieties re-surfacing without viable names, with the increase in popularity from the 1960s onwards. Research has accumulated over 2,800 Canna cultivar names, however, many of these are simply synonyms.

See List of Canna hybridists for details of the people and firms that created the current Canna legacy we all enjoy.

In the early 1900s, Professor Liberty Hyde Bailey defined, in detail, two garden species (C. x generalis and C. x orchiodes) to categorise the floriferous Cannas being grown at that time, namely the Crozy hybrids and the ‘orchid-like’ hybrids introduced by Carl Ludwig Sprenger in Italy and Luther Burbank in the USA, at about the same time (1894) The definition was based on the genotype, rather than the phenotype, of the two cultivar groups. Inevitably, over time those two floriferous groups were interbred, the distinctions became blurred and overlapped, and the Bailey species names became redundant Pseudo-species names are now deprecated by the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants which, instead, provides Cultivar Groups for categorising cultivars

The Canna Agriculture Group contains all of the varieties of Canna grown in agriculture. Canna achira is a generic term used in South America to describe the cannas that have been selectively bred for agricultural purposes, normally derived from C. discolor. It is grown especially for its edible rootstock from which starch is obtained, but the leaves and young seed are also edible, and achira was once a staple foodcrop in Peru and Ecuador

Many more traditional varieties exist world-wide, they have all involved human selection and so are classified as agricultural cultivars. Traditionally, Canna 'edulis' has been reputed to be the variety grown for food in South America, but there is no scientific evidence to substantiate the name. It is probable that edulis is simply a synonym of C. discolor, which is grown for agricultural purposes throughout Asia.

Cannas grow best in full sun with moderate water in well-drained rich or sandy soil. Cannas grow from perennial rhizomes but are frequently grown as annuals in temperate zones for an exotic or tropical look in the garden.[2]

The rhizomes are marginally cold hardy but may rot if left unprotected in freezing conditions. In areas which go below about −10 °C in the winter, the rhizomes can be dug up before freezing and stored in a protected area (above +7 °C) for replanting in the spring. Otherwise, it is recommended that Cannas are protected by a thick layer of mulch overwinter.

Cannas are largely free of pests but in the USA plants sometimes fall victim to the Canna Leaf Roller and the resultant leaf damage can be most distressing to a keen gardener.

Slugs and snails are fond of Cannas and can leave large holes in the leaves, preferring the tender young leaves that have not yet unfurled. Red Spider Mite can also be a problem for Cannas grown indoors or during a very hot, long summer outdoors. The Japanese Beetles will also ravage the leaves if left uncontrolled.

Canna are remarkably free of disease, compared to many genus. However, they may fall victim to canna rust, a fungus resulting in orange spots on the plant's leaves, caused by over moist soil. Cannas are also susceptible to certain plant viruses, some of which are Canna specific viruses, which may result in spotted or streaked leaves, in a mild form, but can finally result in stunted growth and twisted and distorted blooms and foliage.

The flowers are sometimes affected by a grey, fuzzy mold called Botrytis. Under humid conditions it is often found growing on the older flowers. Treatment is to simply remove the old flowers, so the mould does not spread to the new flowers.

Seeds are produced from sexual reproduction, involving the transfer of pollen from the stamen of the pollen parent onto the stigma of the seed parent. In the case of Canna, the same plant can usually play the roles of both pollen and seed parents, technically referred to as a hermaphrodite. However, the cultivars of the Italian Group and triploids are almost always seed sterile, and their pollen has a low fertility level. Mutations are almost always totally sterile.

The species are capable of self-pollination, but most cultivars require an outside pollinator. All cannas produce nectar and therefore attract nectar consuming insects, bats and hummingbirds that act as the transfer agent, spreading pollen between stamens and stigmas, on the same or different inflorescence.

Since genetic recombination has occurred a cultivar grown from seed will have different characteristics to its parent(s) and thus should never be given a parent’s name. The wild species have evolved in the absence of other Canna genes and are deemed to be ‘true to type’ when the parents are of the same species. In the latter case there is still a degree of variance, producing various varieties or minor forms (forma). In particular, the species C. indica is an aggregate species, having many different and extreme varieties and forma ranging from the giant to miniature, from large foliage to small foliage, both green and dark foliage and many different coloured blooms, red, orange, pink, and yellow and combinations of those colours.

Outside of a laboratory, the only asexual propagation method that is effective is rhizome division. This is done by using material from a single parent, and as there is no exchange of genetic material such vegetative propagation methods almost always produce plants that are identical to the parent. After a summer’s growth the horticultural Canna can be separated into typically four or five separate smaller rhizomes, each with a growing nodal point (‘growing eye’). Without the growing point, which is composed of meristem material, the rhizome will not grow.

Micropropagation, or tissue culture as it is also known, is the practice of rapidly multiplying stock plant material to produce a large number of progeny plants. Micropropagation using in vitro (in glass) methods that produce plants by taking small sections of plants and moving them into a sterile environment were they first produce proliferations that are then separated from each other and then rooted or allowed to grow new stem tissue. The process of plant growth is regulated by different ratios of plant growth regulators or PGRs, that promote cell growth. Many commercial organizations have attempted to produce Canna this way, and specifically the “Island Series” of Cannas was introduced by means of mass produced plants using this technique. However, Cannas have a reputation of being difficult micropropagation specimens.

Note Micropropagation techniques can be employed on specimens infected with Canna virus and used to dis-infest plants of the virus, it is possible to use a growing shoot tip as the explant, the growing tip is induced into rapid growth, which results in rapid cell division that has not had time to be infected with the virus. The rapidly growing region of meristem cells producing the shoot tip is cut off and placed in vitro, with a very high probability of being uncontaminated by virus, since it has not yet had contact with the sap of the plant which moves the virus within the plant. In this way, healthy stock can be reclaimed from virus contaminated plants.

The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) is a family of monocot flowering plants of 75 genera and around 3590 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana.

Kingdom:Plantae

Clade:Angiosperms

Clade:Monocots

Order:Asparagales

Family:Asparagaceae

Subfamily:Agavoideae

Genus:Yucca

Species:Y. harrimaniae

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_harrimaniae

Palmer Park, Colorado Springs, CO

This series showing some of the remarkable variation within the blooms of this species. Endemic to California.

Kern County, California, USA.

The use of any of my photos, of any file size, for any purpose, is subject to approval by me. Contact me for permission. Image files are available upon request. My email address can be found at my Flickr profile page. Or send me a FlickrMail.

Stinking Iris seed pods full of berries (Iris foetidissima). Botanical Gardens, The Royal Victoria Park, Bath, BathNES, England

Swiftcurrent, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.

The use of any of my photos, of any file size, for any purpose, is subject to approval by me. Contact me for permission. Image files are available upon request. My email address is available at my Flickr profile page. Or send me a FlickrMail.