> >I do grow Canna iridiflora in my garden, it needs a lot of space as >it can reach 8-9' here in Auckland. We shifted the clump last year >and it was like taking out bamboo. > >Darlene Cook Auckland, New Zealand Dear Friends, There are few people/ places where you can grow C. iridiflora successfully. It is essentially an alpine species from the southern Andes. It is found from 1800 to 2850 m elevation in Central Peru. It is very difficult to grow in any climate that regularly experiences high temperatures and it declines rapidly. Likewise is has little frost tolerance. Even more difficult and rare is C. liliflora, the only white flowered species and said to be slightly fragrant. This species is found in the S. Andes in W. Bolivia and S. Peru at altitudes of 2,000 to 2800 m. The story of the origin of Ehemanii is quite odd, but you can read more about it in Tanaka's "Taxonomic Revision of the Family Cannaceae in the New World and Asia (2000) in" Makinoa New Ser 1 : 1-74 and a new review in 'The Cannaceae of the World ' by Maas-Van de Kames and Maas, 2008 Blumea 53: 247-318 - I think, but I suspect the details are also on line somewhere. Canna liliflora as the only white, fragrant species would be an avid subject for hybridizing to introduce both of those characters into Cannas that can be grown in more temperate gardens. Photos of this species make it highly desirable, but teasingly out of reach. Best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +