How to grow Achira

Frost tender. Grows well in wet and marginal soils.

These are generally grown from tubers however the seed is fertile. The seed has a hard case that may respond better if it’s presoaked or scartched to encourage moisture penetration and therefore, germination.

From Plants For A Future -pfaf. (instructions for British climate?)
Seed – pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and sow February/March in a warm greenhouse at 20°c. Plant the seeds 2 – 5cm deep in individual pots. Scarifying the seed can speed germination, especially if the seed has not swollen after being soaked. The seed usually germinates in 3 – 9 weeks. Grow the plants on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division of the root clump as the plant comes into growth in the spring. Each portion must have at least one growing point. Pot up the divisions and grow them on in the greenhouse until they are well established and then plant them out in the summer.²

Rootstock – actually a rhizome, this can be eaten either raw or cooked. It is the source of canna starch which is used as a substitute for arrowroot. The starch is obtained by rasping the rhizome to a pulp, then washing and straining to get rid of the fibres. This starch is very digestible. The very young rhizomes can also be eaten cooked, they are sweet but fibrousy. The rhizome can be very large, sometimes as long as a person’s forearm. In Peru the rhizomes are baked for up to 12 hours by which time they become a white, translucent, fibrous and somewhat mucilaginous mass with a sweetish taste. The starch is in very large grains, about three times the size of potato starch grains, and can be seen with the naked eye. This starch is easily separated from the fibre of the rhizome.¹

Young shoots – these can be cooked and eaten as a green vegetable and are quite nutritious, containing at least 10% protein.¹

Seeds – the immature seeds are cooked in fat in tortillas.¹

The rhizomes and leaves are good fodder for cattle and pigs and it is grown for this purpose in Tropical Africa and Hawaii, where it is harvested 4-8 months after planting. The foliage of Agricultural Canna is also used for its silage making properties, which are superior to those of corn.¹

These estimates for how long Achira takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Canna achira is a generic term used in South America to describe the cannas that have been selectively bred for agricultural purposes, normally derived from C. discolor.¹

The latin ‘edulis’ means “edible”.⁴

Folk lore states that Canna edulis Ker-Gawl. is the variety grown for food in South America, but there is no scientific evidence to substantiate the name. It is probable that this is simply a synonym of C. discolor, which is grown for agricultural purposes throughout Asia.¹

Queensland arrowroot, Edible canna, Achera, Dong rieng, Ganyong, Sakhu chin, Zembumaraca, Arrowroot, Indian Shot

Canna achiras, Canna esculenta

Misspellings: anchira

fn1: Wikipedia article at Canna Agriculture Group

² Plants For A Future- Canna edulis

³ ARROWROOT, Queensland Arrowroot

⁴ The meaning of Latin plant names