The plant
Zantedeschia aethiopica, commonly known as calla lily, arum lily and death lily, is a flowering plant of the family Araceae, native to southern Africa. The genus Zantedeschia has eight species. Z. aethiopica is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial that grows 0.6 to 1 m tall, with large clumps of broad, arrow-shaped dark green leaves. Where water is sufficient the leaves are evergreen, and under dry conditions they are deciduous. Its preferred habitat is in or on the banks of streams and ponds.
The flower
The arum lily in a bouquet is a false flower. The true flowers are tiny and packed in tight groups around the central column, the spadix, which is surrounded by a petal-like bract, the spathe. A spathe is a large bract, and a bract is a modified or specialized leaf. The inflorescence has a pure white spathe up to 25 cm and a yellow spadix up to 9 cm long. Female flowers, which are pollinated by insects such as beetles, mature before the male flowers. Mature fruits are orange, fleshy berries.
Toxicity
Ingestion of the raw plant may cause a severe burning sensation and swelling of lips, tongue, and throat. Stomach pain and diarrhea may also occur. The raphides may cause localised irritation in the mouth when eaten. For some people, the plant is also a skin irritant.
Distribution and cultivation
It has naturalised in Kenya, Madeira, the Azores, Malawi, New Zealand, Tanzania, Zambia and coastal California. In Western Australia it has been classified as a toxic weed and pest. The cultivars 'Crowborough' and 'Green Goddess' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. 'Green Goddess' has green stripes on the spathes, which allow the flowers to last much longer than the original white form. 'Pink Mist' has a pinkish base to the spathe and a pink spadix. Zantedeschia aethiopica can be used for the treatment of wastewater because of its tolerance of iron and its ability to grow in wet areas.
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Related: Arum Lily · Biomuguet · Crinum Lily · Daylily · Fire Lily · Florhydral · Hydroxycitronellal · Lily
