The broad, flat, alternate leaves that are such a feature of these plants, grow out of a stem in a long, narrow roll and then unfurl.

[9] 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).

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.

[9] The wild species often grow to at least 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) in height, but wide variation in size exists among cultivated plants; numerous cultivars have been selected for smaller stature.

Charles de l'Ecluse, who first described and sketched C. indica, indicated this origin, and stated that it was given the name 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 West Indies.

[4] Zingiberaceae Costaceae Cannaceae Marantaceae Lowiaceae Strelitziaceae Heliconiaceae Musaceae Although most cannas grown these days are cultivars (see below), about 20 known species are of the wild form,[clarification needed] and in the last three decades of the 20th century, Canna species have been categorized by two different taxonomists, Paul Maas, from the Netherlands[18] and Nobuyuki Tanaka from Japan.

[20] 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 receive 6–8 hours of sunlight each day during the growing season and are protected from the cold of winter.

Red spider mites may also be a potential pest for cannas grown indoors, in dry areas, or that receive poor airflow.

For canna grown outside (in California or Texas, for example), mealybugs and scale insects are most drawn to the dense folds and creases between the leaves and the stem/petiole, where the foliage attaches to the plant.

At times, if left unchecked, these sucking-insects may remain effectively concealed in these tight areas, only for older or dead leaves to be peeled off to reveal a small colony of white, fuzzy mealybugs congregated.

Other effective options include insecticidal soap, neem and horticultural oils, and other commercially available spray treatments.

However, they may fall victim to canna rust, a fungal disease resulting in orange spots on the plant's leaves, caused by over-moist soil.

Cannas grow best in full sun with moderate water in well-drained, rich or sandy soil.

They grow from perennial rhizomes, but are frequently grown as annuals in temperate zones for an exotic or tropical look in the garden.

[28] C. × ehemannii is tall and green-leafed with terminal drooping panicles of hot pink iris-like flowers, looking somewhat like a cross between a banana and a fuchsia.

In the early 20th century, Professor Liberty Hyde Bailey defined, in detail, two "garden species" (C. × generalis[31] and C. × orchiodes[32]) 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 U.S., at about the same time (1894).

[22] Inevitably over time, those two floriferous groups were interbred, the distinctions became blurred and overlapped, and the Bailey species names became redundant.

[6] 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.

All cannas produce nectar, so attract nectar-consuming insects, bats, and hummingbirds, that act as the transfer agent, spreading pollen between stamens and stigmas on the same or different flowers.

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.