Canna flaccida (Southern Marsh Canna, Golden Canna, Bandana of the Everglades) SKU-CANFLA

Description

 3′-5′ Native Perennial. Southern Marsh spreads by rhizomes to form dense patches.   Blooming from May  until frost..Cannas are  a great plant for moon gardens. At dusk you can watch the fragrant, yellow flowers open.Butterflies,  Moths and Hummingbirds feed on the nectar.  . Brazilian Skipper Butterflies caterpillars feed on the leaves. This native butterfly has been found as far north as New York, Northern Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska and westward to California, Utah and Nevada. Southern Marsh Cannas can make a nice addition to the butterfly garden for much of the US.  Many birds and small mammals seek them for nesting material and cover. Tree frogs are especially fond of hiding in the coiled new leaves.  All parts of the plant are edible. The flowers make a nice addition to salads .The young seeds can be added to tortillas.  The large leaves make a nice wrapper for steamed foods such as tamales.  In India, they are even fermented to produce alcohol A Thai herbalist who had married into a Gullah/Geechie family related that she used the leaves medicinally to cool down feverish babies by wrapping them in their leaves.  Deer rarely ever browse them.   Scientists in Florida  recommended planting them along waterways to absorb excess nutrients from fertilizer runoff thereby cleaning the water. Plant in sun/ part sun.. in moist to wet soil. They tolerate some salinity. For heavier blooming, cut stems to the ground after flowering. New flowering stalks will appear quickly. The plants have many cultural uses. Stems for fiber, Seeds for dye, beads, in musical instruments, and for play.  Leaves can be burned to repel insects, fed to ducks and chickens, or used as a weed-smothering mulch.

They are native to SC, GA, AL, MS, LA, and TX. They are rare in SC. We propagated our plants from several native populations in Beaufort Co., SC that were threatened by residential development and highway maintenance in the early 1990’s.. Some of the stock was shared by Betsy Jukofsky of Hilton Head.  The populations on Hilton Head have since been extirpated. Plant them in your garden to keep them from disappering.