Calla palustris
(Water Arum)
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Facts About this Plant:
- Common Names: Water Arum, Bog Arum, Marsh Calla, Wild Calla, Squaw Claw
- Lifespan: Perennial
- Zones: 2 - 6
- Type: Forb
- Bloom Time: May - August
- Status: Native
Calla palustris, or Water Arum, is native only to the northeastern tier of states and the northern Great Lakes states. It grows in bogs, swamps, marshes, ditches and on lake margins in cool soil. It blooms in mid summer, with white flowers that have a spike in the middle, called a spadix, and a white covering around it, called a spathe.
This is very reminiscent of the Calla lilies that many people grow indoors, and while those are in the same family - Arum - they are not the true Calla, but this is! It is easily distinguished by its white flower with spadix and its habitat of bogs and wet areas with acidic soil; nothing else grows like it in its range.
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