ZANTEDESCHIA SPECIES

Calla Lily

Despite the funereal connotations of the white Calla Lily this spectacular flower should find a home in almost every Florida garden. Callas have long-petioled, basal leaves arising from a thick rhizome. The inflorescence, on a leafless flower stalk, consists of a spathe and spadix. The spathe, a large, flaring, trumpet-shaped bract, surrounds the spadix which is covered with tiny flowers. The Calla is native to South Africa. Of the family Araceae it is cultivated for its beautiful and colorful flowers.

The waxy white blooms and spear-headed leaves of the calla lily began to appeal to American artists shortly after the exotic plant was first imported from South Africa to America in the mid-nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century, the calla lily began to enjoy a heightened popularity, and particularly in the 1920s and 1930s, when dozens of painters and photographers of varying reputations and approaches to image-making made it the subject of their work.

Callas are known as the trumpet lily as a reminder of the Archangel Gabriel and his trumpet
Callas aren’t lilies
The word calla comes from the Greek term for beautiful
White was once the most popular color for callas, now there are many colors available including multicolored
Callas are very popular for weddings