Canna indica seed

Canna indica, or Wild Canna Lily, is a handsome perennial herb with delicate red flowers and large leaves often tinged with bronze. It can reach seven feet in height, though is typically closer to three. The wildflower is native to the tropical and subtropical Americas but is found in many warmer parts of the world in its preferred habitats of marsh or forest edges, old gardens, and roadside ditches. Its rhizomes can be baked and eaten, tasting sweet, and the roots can be ground to produce a form of arrowroot starch. The species is also called Indian shot because the exceptionally hard, round seeds resemble shotgun pellets. As the story goes, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 they were used when soldiers ran out of lead shot, but regardless of truth, the seeds can be shot through wood and still germinate. Now they are more likely to be seen as shiny black beads in natural jewelry.