Calla Lily | Zantedeschia
Calla Lily | Zantedeschia
Live Indoor Plant | Native to South Africa | Seasonal Bloomer | Rhizome
What looks like a petal is not a petal at all.
The chalice-shaped form that defines the Calla Lily — the elegant, curving funnel in white, cream, pink, yellow, burgundy, or deep purple — is not a flower. It is a spathe: a modified leaf that unfurls around the central spadix, which is the finger-like structure at the center carrying the actual tiny flowers. The architecture that makes the Calla Lily one of the most immediately recognizable plants in any collection is, botanically, a leaf doing something leaves don't usually do.
The genus Zantedeschia is native to the wetlands and stream margins of South Africa — not Central America as is commonly listed — where it grows in boggy, moisture-rich soil with abundant humidity and consistent warmth. That origin explains the care exactly: consistent moisture during active growth, a warm indoor position, and a dormant period in winter when the plant dies back to its rhizome before returning in spring. The dormancy is not a problem. It is what the plant needs before it blooms again.
Available in a range of spathe colors — from classic white through pink, coral, yellow, and deep burgundy-purple — each one holds its form for weeks, making the Calla Lily equally at home in a container, a windowsill, or cut and arranged. The arrow-shaped dark green leaves, sometimes spotted with translucent white markings, are ornamental on their own before and after bloom.
A note on toxicity: All parts of Zantedeschia contain calcium oxalate crystals and are toxic to cats, dogs, horses, and humans if ingested. Sap can irritate skin and eyes — handle with gloves when cutting or repotting. Keep out of reach of pets and children.
Product details:
- Grows 16–24" tall in bloom; grows from rhizomes
- Bright indirect to partial direct light; full harsh midday sun can scorch
- Keep soil consistently moist during active growth and bloom; reduce significantly during dormancy
- Average to moderate humidity; appreciates misting in dry conditions
- 65–80°F during growing season; allow to cool slightly to trigger dormancy in late autumn
- Toxic to cats, dogs, horses, and humans if ingested; sap irritates skin
Care notes: Plant rhizomes in well-draining, peat-based potting mix with added perlite. Water thoroughly when growing and in bloom — flowering plants are thirsty. After bloom and as leaves yellow and die back in autumn, reduce watering significantly and allow the rhizome to rest in its pot through winter. Resume watering in early spring when new growth appears. Fertilize every 2–4 weeks during active growth with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Repot or divide rhizomes every 2–3 years in spring.
Why we love it:
- The spathe is a modified leaf, not a petal — the biology behind one of the most recognizable forms in floristry
- Available across an unusual color range — white, cream, pink, coral, yellow, burgundy, deep purple — allowing placement in any interior palette
- Dormancy and return is part of the experience; a plant that disappears and comes back
- The arrow-shaped spotted leaves are ornamental independent of the bloom
- Long-lasting cut flowers — one of the most architecturally useful plants for arrangement
Native Manor Note: The Calla Lily contributes to the indoor environment in the way all actively growing plants do — transpiring, photosynthesizing, adding life and humidity to the rooms it occupies during its growing season. Its specific contribution is different from the evergreen plants in this collection: it blooms for weeks, then rests, then returns. There is something worth appreciating about a plant that marks time — that arrives with warmth and light in spring, performs fully, and steps back. A room with a Calla Lily in bloom is a room in a particular season.