Canna speciosa  "Canna speciosa" (Roscoe) Hook. is a species of the "Canna" genus, belonging to the family Cannaceae, a native of the tropical Americas. Introduced to England from South America in 1820, speciosa meaning 'showy'. (Johnson's Gardeners Dictionary, 1856). It is a perennial growing to 2m. It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. In the north latitudes it is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite. In the last three decades of the 20th century, "Canna" species have been categorised by two different taxonomists, Paulus Johannes Maria Maas from the Netherlands and Nobuyuki Tanaka from Japan. Maas considers "C". "speciosa" to be a synonym of "C. indica" L., however, Tanaka's DNA assays demonstrate that the "C. indica" complex can be clearly distinguished from other taxa, as a result he recognises this as a separate species. "C". "speciosa" is a tall, slender plant with an upright stem covered along its entire length with large, stalkless, gracefully arching leaves. The plant bears heads of striking, bi-colored flowers with scarlet petals and a conspicuous contrasting yellow throat. (D'Orbigny's Dictionnaire D'Histoire Naturelle 1849)