Canna indica
- noun
- Specialized
:
canna indica
- The root of Canna indica is processed to make arrowroot starch in several countries.
Examples
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The Canna indica plant is known for its edible roots.
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Many farmers grow Canna indica for its valuable starch.
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Farmers harvested Canna indica because it's both ornamental and useful for its edible rhizomes.
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Some local cuisines use Canna indica as a gluten-free alternative in baking.
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Farmers often cultivate Canna indica for its edible rhizomes used in making arrowroot starch.
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In various dishes, Canna indica is utilized as a gluten-free ingredient due to its starchy roots.
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Many people are unaware that the root of Canna indica can be processed into a nutritious form of arrowroot starch.
Synonyms
A plant grown for its starchy root to make arrowroot flour
A South American plant grown for its starchy edible root used to make arrowroot starch
A tropical plant grown for its edible root that people use to make starch for cooking
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a regular Latin binomial combining the genus name 'Canna' (a type of plant) with the adjective 'indica' ('from India'), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a species of canna originating in India. The meaning follows compositional taxonomic conventions rather than an idiomatic shift, so the referent as a specific plant is transparently derivable even if details like its use for arrowroot are not.
Etymology
Canna indica was long grown for its thick, edible roots. People cooked and processed those roots to make a fine, white 'arrowroot starch', so Canna indica is known today as a plant used for food and starch.
