Scientific Name
Calla palustris L.
Synonym(s)
Calla palustris f. palustris, Calla brevis, Calla cordifolia, Calla generalis, Calla ovatifolia, Callaion bispatha, Callaion brevis, Callaion heterophylla, Callaion palustris, Dracunculus paludosus, Provenzalia bispatha, Provenzalia brevis, Provenzalia heterophyla, Provenzalia palustris
Common Name(s)
Bog Arum, Water Arum, Marsh Calla, Wild Calla, Squaw Claw
Scientific Classification
Family: Araceae
Subfamily: Calloideae
Tribe: Spathiphylleae
Genus: Calla
Flower
Color: White
Bloom Time: Summer
Origin
Calla palustris is native to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in central, eastern, and northern Europe (France and Norway eastward), northern Asia, and northern North America (Alaska, Canada, and northeastern contiguous United States).
Description
Calla palustris is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant growing in bogs and ponds. Leaves are rounded to heart-shaped, up to 5 inches (12.5 cm) long and wide, on an up to 8 inches (20 cm) long petiole.
The greenish-yellow inflorescence is produced on a spadix up to 2.4 inches (6 cm) long, enclosed in a white spathe. Fruits are clusters of red berries, each berry containing several seeds.
How to Grow and Care for Calla palustris
Hardiness: USDA hardiness zone 4a to 7b: from -30°F (-34.4°C) to 10°F (-12.2°C).
Water Arum is found in bogs and marshes as it is a plant of shallows, cold water, and wet soils. It can tolerate up to 2 inches (5 cm) of standing water and grows best in full sun. It grows from submerged, creeping rhizomes that are horizontal near the soil surface. In summer, the growing shoots can be cut off to encourage branching and pushed into the soil to propagate. These perennials also frequently reproduce vegetatively, producing offsets from their rhizomes.
It can be grown in wet soil and marshy, muddy conditions with still, shallow freshwater. Plants tolerate near-full shade but may become weak-stemmed and lean. In established ponds with a thick layer of sediment on the bottom, the plants can be left to float freely.
A light mulch is necessary for extremely cold, snowless winters. Water Arum will not survive a dry spell.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Water Arum (Calla palustris).
Links
- Back to genus Calla
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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