Practical
Plants

Calla palustris

Water Arum

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Araceae
Genus
Calla
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.25 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Flies

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals[11]. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten, but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping it in water[14].

Edible uses

Rhizome - cooked. It is usually prepared by drying the root, grinding it into a powder and then thoroughly cooking it to ensure that any acrimonious principle is completely destroyed. The resulting powder is rich in starch and can be used as a flour for making bread etc, especially in conjunction with cereal flours[1][8][13][3][6]. It is said to be very tasty[14]. Fruit (does this include the seed?) - it should be dried and then thoroughly cooked[5]. The dried fruit and rootstalk can be ground into an unpalatable but nutritious powder[5]. The seed is dried, cooked and ground into a powder[10].

Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

Antirheumatic. Used in the treatment of colds and flu[5]. A tea made from the dried root has been used in the treatment of flu, shortness of breath, bleeding and as a poultice on swellings and snakebites[11][12]. The aerial stems have been used in the treatment of sore legs[12].

Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
Europe. Naturalized in Britain[4].
Habitat
Forest swamps, moorland marshes, by ponds and streams[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in late summer in a cold frame in pots standing in about 3cm of water[9]. Sow stored seed as early as possible in the year in a greenhouse. The germination rate of stored seed is often poor. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in trays of water in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring[9]. Very easy, it is possible to divide this plant at almost any time in the growing season. Any part of the stem, if placed in water or a pot of very wet soil, will quickly root away to form a new plant. Stem cuttings in summer, rooted in wet mud[9].

Cultivation

Requires a wet lime-free humus rich soil by water or in shallow, still or slowly flowing water in full sun[9]. When grown on the pond margins it creeps in and out of the water[1]. Succeeds in water up to 25cm deep[7].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Altmann. H. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-7011-2526-8

    ↩

  3. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  5. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  7. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  10. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩

  11. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2

  12. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2

  13. Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00

    ↩

  14. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

    ↩1↩2

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