Calla Lily
Zantedeschia aethiopica
📖 About this plant
One of the most elegant and recognizable flowering plants, featuring large, flaring, trumpet-shaped white spathes (the ‘flower’) surrounding a central yellow spadix. The glossy, arrow-shaped, dark green leaves often have attractive white spots. A symbol of purity and resurrection, widely used in weddings and floral arrangements. Thrives in moist conditions and makes a stunning pond-margin or container plant.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Partial shade to full sun (4-6 hrs)
Every 2-3 days
Moderate to high (50-70%)
15-25°C
Rich, moisture-retentive, well-draining soil with peat and compost; tolerates boggy conditions near water features
Balanced liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks during active growth and flowering; controlled-release granular at planting
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Southern Africa — South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique; found in marshy areas and stream banks
- 📏 Max height
- 60-90 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 30-45 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White, Pink, Yellow, Orange
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- TOXIC — contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals in all parts; ingestion causes intense burning and swelling of lips, tongue, and throat, difficulty swallowing, and vomiting; toxic to dogs, cats, and humans
- 🌱 Propagation
- Division of rhizomes in early spring; seed sowing (slow); offsets separated from parent rhizome
🛡️ Health & Safety
TOXIC — contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals in all parts; ingestion causes intense burning and swelling of lips, tongue, and throat, difficulty swallowing, and vomiting; toxic to dogs, cats, and humans
Common issues
- Soft rot from overwatering, Leaf spot fungi, Aphids on flowers and foliage
💡 Care tips
- Elegant trumpet-shaped flowers in white pink yellow or orange,Grow in consistently moist soil or even shallow water,Plant rhizomes 4 inches deep in rich organic soil,All parts are toxic so keep away from children and pets
