Zantedeschia aethiopica or Calla Lily, a native of Transvaal in South Africa, can be found naturalized in all parts of the world. The Calla forms large clumps of dark green leaves up to 18 inches long by 10 inches wide.
Blooming Time: The white 8-inch bracts on 3-foot stems appear in spring and summer.
Culture: Zantedeschia aethiopica need bright light with intermediate temperatures. We use a soil mix consisting of 2 parts peat moss to 2 parts loam to 1 part sand or perlite. Plants should be kept moist throughout the growing season. Fertilize weekly from February to November using a balanced fertilizer diluted to ½ the strength recommended on the label. In November water should be restricted to let the rhizomes rest. After the foliage dies back we lift the rhizomes and store them in vermiculite at 40° F until February. Then they are divided and repotted.
Propagation: Zantedeschia aethiopica are propagated by division of rhizomes in early spring or by seed. Offsets will not bloom for 18 months.
Zantedeschia aethiopica was featured as Plant of the Week February 2-8, 2001.
Guide to Past Plants-of-the-Week:
Cal's Plant of the Week was provided as a service by the University of Oklahoma Department of Microbiology & Plant Biology and specifically the late Cal Lemke, who used to be OU's botany greenhouse grower and an avid gardener at home as well. If the above links don't work, then try the overview site. You may also like to look at the thumbnail index. ©1998-2012 All rights reserved.