Vietnamese Canna edulis – Tasty Starchy Root Crop – Divisions

Canna edulis is a root crop from the Andes mountains that is grown as a fresh root vegetable and starch crop. In this part of the world, it is known as Achira. Unlike most of the other Andean root crops, it adapts well to the hotter temperatures of lower elevation climates.  Some time ago, perhaps in the late 1800’s, Canna edulis was brought into Asia where it took a foothold as a crop. Vietnam appears to be the epicenter of Asian Canna production, though there is cultivation in quite a few other countries. In Asia, edible Canna has many names but does not appear to be called “Achira” anywhere it is grown.

Until recently, we were most optimistic about “Baldwins” Canna edulis, which grows well and produces large rhizomes in our Florida garden. You can read more about this variety here. As mentioned in that listing, Baldwins cooks up to be somewhat crunchy like a turnip or jicama and does not seem to be very starchy. This fact has been kind of baffling since descriptions of this plant mention it’s starchy, potato like qualities. Last year we were gifted a new Canna edulis variety by a generous local Vietnamese grower. Unlike Baldwins, this variety cooks up as a delicious starchy root crop! We were extremely pleased cook some of our harvest of Vietnamese Canna and find that the flesh has a potato like texture, high starchiness and a pronounced sweetness. The eating quality can be compared to some of the specialty Japanese or Korean sweet potatoes. There is literature describing Canna as a lackluster tasting root crop. We can’t say if this is climatic or varietal, but this variety in our garden contradicts these descriptions. In our opinion, Vietnamese Canna shows potential to be a bonafide starchy root crop. The rhizomes can be blasted clean with a hose, then crudely cleaned up to be boiled in the skin. Once boiled, one can simply peel away the skin their fingers and eat the tasty flesh. There is some fiber running through the flesh but it isn’t especially tough or objectionable in a way that ruins the eating quality. Fiber may increase with age if plants are left in the ground too long.

Like Baldwins, this Canna can grow to be 6 feet tall and is very robust under Florida conditions. It likes moisture and fertility. Some literature suggests that Canna edulis can tolerate wetter conditions than many crops, and therefore is quite valuable in certain settings that are challenging for agriculture. The plants also tolerate light to medium shade, making it an ideal species for food forests and muti-storied agriculture. In our gardens, it has worked well to plant in early Spring and harvest in late fall or early winter when the plants naturally senesce. The planting and harvest time are quite similar to the other major starchy root crops. Vietnamese Canna edulis has a beautiful reddish blush to the foliage and makes a perfectly great ornamental, an ideal “stealth edible” for HOA settings that do not allow cultivation of food plants. Plants are useful for animal forage, biomass production and other applications.

This listing is for 4 live divisions/planting pieces.

Canna edulis