Water Canna

Overview

Water canna is native to a large region in Africa, from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, south to Zimbabwe and Angola. It is also considered native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, most of South America, as well as the southeastern United States (Puerto Rico, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and southern Georgia). It is endemic to Africa, South America and Florida,United States of America.The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local consumption of its edible leaves and roots. Roots can be baked and eaten as a vegetable, or the starch can be extracted to make a sort of arrowroot.

Vernacular Names

No found data on this. Need further research.

Agroecology

Thalia geniculata can be found in swamps, near pools and in other wet locations in forest, savanna, and fallow land, from sea level up to 1,100 m altitudes. It occurs as weed, particularly in rice cultivation. It does not tolerate frost or salt water. Pollination is triggered by bees and hummingbirds, but self pollination is also possible.

Morphology

• Root - the root system is well-developed and extensively intertwined.
• Stem - has a thick rhizome (underground horizontal stem).
• Leaves - large leaves are broadly lanceolate, simple, entire, having a rounded base and a pointed apex (> 1 m long). The leaf blade is held by a long, smooth, green or red-purple petiole.
• Flowers - bisexual, paired flowers are suspended from a zigzag-shaped inflorescence stalk. Small, purple flowers (2 cm long) are composed of 3 petals and have an irregular shape. A white, petal-like bract hangs below the flowers.
• Fruits - known as utricles, containing a single seed.
• Seed - ellips-subglobose, 5-10 mm x 3-6 mm, smooth, brown to black seed.

Cultivation

Generative propagation is by seed, and vegetative propagation is by rhizome division.

Chemical Constituents

Sitoindoside I, daucosterol, stigmasterol, B-sitosterol, geranylfarsenol, rosmarinic acid.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• In Senegal, the roots and leaves are perts of preparation drunk and massaged in case of snakebite.
• In Gote d'Ivoire, a maceration of the root is drunk and used in baths for the treatment of anaemia.
• In Ghana, a root infusion is drunk for the treatment of asthma.
• In Benin, unspecified plant parts are used for the treatment of malaria.