What does canna mean?
A canna is a striking ornamental plant belonging to the tropical genus Canna, cultivated in gardens worldwide for its broad, paddle-shaped leaves and vivid flowers in shades of red, orange, yellow, and pink. Often called the canna lily despite not being a true lily, it grows from rhizomes and thrives in warm, sunny conditions, reaching heights of several feet. Gardeners value cannas for the bold, exotic texture they bring to borders and containers from midsummer until frost. The word itself descends from the Latin canna, meaning a reed or cane — the same root that gives us cane, canal, and even cannon. Though primarily a horticultural term today, the older sense referring to reeds persists in botanical writing. In informal Scottish speech, 'canna' also serves as a colloquial shortening of 'cannot', a usage entirely distinct from the plant name.
nounA canna is a tall flowering plant of the genus Canna, grown in gardens for its large leaves and showy red, orange, or yellow blooms; the name also denotes any of various reed-like plants, especially the true cane or arundo.
- Any plant of the tropical genus Canna, grown ornamentally for its bold foliage and brightly colored flowers (often called the canna lily).
- (Archaic/botanical) A reed or cane, especially Arundo donax, from which the genus name derives.
"The border of the summer garden was bright with cannas in full bloom."
"She planted cannas along the sunny south wall for a dramatic late-summer display."
"In Victorian bedding schemes, cannas were prized for their lush, banana-like foliage."
Regular English plural; used when referring to multiple plants collectively.
"They lifted the cannas before the first frost to store the rhizomes indoors."
The canna's name comes straight from the Latin word for a reed or cane — making this flamboyant flower a linguistic cousin of cannons and canals.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of canna
Canna comes directly from Latin, where canna meant 'a reed' or 'a cane', itself borrowed from Greek kanna with the same meaning. The genus name was applied when early botanists classified these tropical plants alongside the familiar European reed. The same Latin root produced English cane, canal, cannon, and canyon, all ultimately deriving from the idea of a hollow tube or stalk.
How canna is actually used
Canna is used almost exclusively as a botanical and horticultural term. In Scots and Scottish English, 'canna' is also a colloquial contraction meaning 'cannot', but that sense is regional and informal. The plural is simply 'cannas'.
Easily confused with canna
A banana is an edible tropical fruit from a different plant genus, while a canna is an ornamental flowering garden plant — though both names trace back to related words.