Calla (also known as Water Arum, Bog Arum, Marsh Calla, Wild Calla, or Squaw Claw) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, containing the single species Calla palustris. It 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 the northeastern contiguous United States).
The genus formerly also included several other species, which have now been transferred to the separate genus Zantedeschia. However, these plants from tropical Africa are often still called "Calla Lilies" but should not be confused with Calla palustris.
Water Arum is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial with a thick branching rhizome. Leaves are glossy, dark green, and heart-shaped. Flowers are small, yellowish-green, and produced within a white spathe. The fruit is a cluster of bright red berries.
Growing Conditions and General Care
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 good layer of sediment on the bottom, the plants can be left to float freely.
The rhizome of the Water Arum grows horizontally, running along the surface of the pond and forming roots at nodes. It may suffer from sunburn during periods of high heat, but will enter a new growth spurt on the cooler autumn days.
A light mulch is necessary for extremely cold, snowless winters. Water Arum will not survive a dry spell.
Propagation
It can be propagated by seed or division of the rhizome.
Links
- Back to genus Calla
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin