Calla lily Profile

Calla lily is a perennial thick herb belonging to the class of monocots, Araceae, and Zantedeschia. It has tubers and is easy to tiller to form clusters. The leaves are basal, and the lower part of the leaf is sheathed; the leaves are thicker, green, heart-shaped arrow-shaped or arrow-shaped, the apex is sharp, acuminate or tail-shaped, and the base is heart-shaped or halberd. It likes loose, fertile, and humus-rich clay loam.  

Calla lily is poisonous. It contains a lot of herbal calcium crystals and alkaloids. Ingestion can cause drowsiness and other poisoning symptoms. This species is a non-toxic plant included in the Chinese Plant Atlas Database, and its toxicity is that of tubers, buds and fleshy inflorescences. Chewing a small tuber can cause a sore tongue and throat. Calla lily can be used medicinally and has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying. Calla lily is poisonous and is contraindicated for oral administration.
Calla lilies are commonly used in bridal bouquets in European and American countries. It is also the national flower of Ethiopia.

Calla lily morphological characteristics

Calla lily is a thick perennial herb with tubers. The leaf is basal, the petiole is 0.4-1 m long, and the lower part is sheathed; the leaf is thick, green, heart-shaped arrow-shaped or arrow-shaped, the apex is acute, acuminate or caudate, the base of the calla lily is heart-shaped or halberd, entire, It is 15-45 cm long, 10-25 cm wide, without plaque, and the posterior lobes are 6-7 cm long. The stalk of the calla lily is 40-50 cm long and smooth.
The buds of calla lilies are 10-25 cm long, with short tubes and yellow. Its eaves are slightly set back, sharp or tapered, with a conical tip, bright white, and sometimes greenish. The fleshy inflorescence is cylindrical, 6-9 cm long, 4-7 mm thick, yellow: the female inflorescence is 1-2.5 cm long and the male inflorescence is 5-6.5 cm long. Ovary 3-5 locules, gradually narrowing into style, with 3 false stamens around most. The berries are short ovoid, light yellow, 1-1.2 cm in diameter, with persistent styles. The seeds of the calla lily are obovate-shaped, 3 mm in diameter.

Calla lily efficacy and role

The medicinal value of calla lily

Calla lily is poisonous. It contains a lot of calcium oxalate crystals and alkaloids. Ingestion can cause poisoning symptoms such as coma.
The poison of calla lily is tuber, buddha and meat spike, and the inflorescence is poisonous. Chewing a small tuber can cause a sore tongue and throat. The appropriate pounding of fresh calla lily tubers and external applications can treat burns. Contraindications for oral administration. Ingestion of a little bit can cause vomiting, but the boiled leaves can cure minor headaches, but the medicinal use must be used under the guidance of a doctor.

The ornamental value of calla lily

The calla lily is beautiful and elegant, the buds are white, like a horseshoe, the leaves are emerald green, and they are decorated with white spots. The clear calla lotus is a symbol of purity, innocence and simplicity. It has become one of the important types of cut flowers in the international flower market. Calla lilies are often used to make bouquets, flower baskets, garlands and vases, and the decorative effect is particularly good. Dwarf and small flower type potted plants are used for placing steps, windowsills, balconies, and mirrors. They are full of exotic flavors and are particularly vivid and lovely. Calla lilies are planted in gardens, especially in clusters next to pools or piles of rocks. They are very beautiful when they bloom.
 

Calla lily growth habit and growing environment and distribution

Calla lilies are distributed in Beijing, Jiangsu, Fujian, Taiwan, Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinling Mountains, and are cultivated for viewing. It is native to northeastern and southern Africa. Calla lilies like a warm, humid and sunny environment. Not tolerant to cold and drought. The suitable temperature for growth is 15-25℃, and the night temperature is not lower than 13℃. If the temperature is higher than 25°C or lower than 5°C, the calla lily will be forced to sleep. Calla lily likes water, the soil should be kept moist during the growth period, and the tubers should be controlled to water after the tubers enter the dormant state during the high-temperature period in summer. The soil requires fertile, clayey loam with good water retention properties, with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5.

Calla lily cultivation

Potted plants

Calla lily is suitable for planting in earthen pots. You'd better choose fertile, neutral, or acidic soil. You can use 2 parts of finely broken pond soil (or fine clay-sand), 1 part of hummus (or compost), and add an appropriate amount of superphosphate And decomposed human and animal feces, mixed. Propagation usually occurs after the calla lily, and the small bulbs around the tuber are removed and cultivated for one year, and then bloom in the following year. After experimentation, the author found that using the root tiller and ramets method can bloom in the same year.
The specific method is: from late June to early August, combined with changing pots, the well-developed large-shaped ramets with roots are broken by hand (preferably without a knife) and planted in the prepared pots. If used as cut flowers, plant 2 to 3 more ramets and place them in a cool place after planting. Using this method to reproduce, it will bloom from September to October that year.