Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Freshwater wetland
Range: Southern Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Bulbs
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

The calla lily's iconic white 'petal' is actually a spathe — a modified leaf curled around a slender yellow spadix bearing hundreds of tiny true flowers. Native to marshy streamsides in southern Africa, it has naturalised across warm climates worldwide and blooms even in standing water.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Zantedeschia
Species: Zantedeschia aethiopica