Canna indica L.

Ganyong (Canna indica) is a herb up to 2 meters tall of the Cannaceae family, originating from South America, brought by the Portuguese and spread to Asia and Africa. Its starch-rich tuber can be processed into a rice substitute, while its young shoots are eaten as a vegetable. Ganyong is also traditionally believed to be antipyretic and help stop bleeding.

Grows wild in forests, mountains, fields up to highlands at elevations of 2,500 m above sea level. Ganyong is ideal at temperatures of 18-32 °C and requires direct sunlight. Prefers fertile, loose soil with good aeration and drainage with humidity of 50-90%.

• Roots fibrous, thick.
• Tuber thick, surrounded by brownish-purple scales.
• Stem watery, clump-forming, soft, grows upright, round shaped. A regular, overlapping cluster of leaf sheaths.
• Leaves elongated elliptical, tapering base and tip, green sometimes streaked with purple.
• Flowers orange-red with a yellow base and imperfect stamens.
• Fruit a 3-chambered capsule, each containing 5 seeds, green in color.

Propagated through seed, tubers (from a parent clump 10–15 months old), and offshoots (10–15 months old).

2-terpene, 4-coumarin, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, sterols, terpenoids, cardiac glycoside, steroids, saponins, phlobatannin, lutein, cyanidin.

Antipyretic and diuretic remedy, diarrhea, acute hepatitis, hypertension, hemorrhoids, vertigo and bloody cough remedy, addresses vaginal discharge and reproductive cancer, urinary tract inflammation, cures internal heat, stops bleeding, antioxidant, and analgesic.

Not yet available.

Hosbe (Batak), Ganyal (Sunda), Limbong, Nyindra, Mindro (Java), Bunga tasbih (Jakarta), Milu-milu (Bali), Tasa'be (Babangeng, South Sulawesi).