Common name: Canna Lily, Indian Shot, {Keli केली, Sarvajjaya सर्वज्जय} (Hindi), Laphoorit (Manipuri), Sarbajaya (Bengali), Kardal कर्दळ (Marathi), Kele Phool केंळें फुल (Konkani)

Botanical name: Canna indica - [ (KAN-uh) derived from a Greek name for a type of reed; (IN-dih-kuh) or (in-DEE-kuh) of or from India ] Family: Cannaceae (canna family) - [ (kan-AY-see-ay) the canna family ]

Origin: Tropical America, Caribbean

One of the most commonly used beads in natural seed jewelry comes from a beautiful wildflower of the Caribbean region and tropical America. It is commonly called "Indian shot" (Canna indica) and it belongs to the mostly tropical, monocotyledonous Canna Family (Cannaceae) This lovely wildflower is common along roadsides and open fields throughout the West Indies and Lesser Antilles, especially near cultivated garden.

The spherical black seeds of Indian shot are so hard and perfectly round that they resemble oversized BB's or buckshot from a shotgun shell. In fact, they are so dense that they readily sink in water. Under a hand lens the seeds are minutely-pitted, like the surface of pocked metal.

The seeds are called "Indian shot" because of their superficial resemblance to lead shot ammunition of the 18th and 19th centuries Throughout tropical regions of the world the shiny black beads are strung into earrings and necklaces, often as spacers between larger beads or mixed with silver trinkets and gemstones.

Courtesy: - Flowers of India - TopTropicals - Dave's Garden Botanary - Zipcode Zoo