Calla palustris - Water Arum

Family:	Araceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.25
Width:	0.3
Synonyms:
Range:	Europe. Naturalized in Britain[17].

Calla palustris (Water Arum) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.25m and a width of 0.3m . It has a hardness rating of 4.
Water Arum will flower in December to January. the seeds ripen from February to March
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Flies

Soil Information

Water Arum will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
Water Arum prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Water Arum should not be planted in shady areas.

Forest swamps, moorland marshes, by ponds and streams[10].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Is a pond plant
• A bog garden plant

Cultivation Details

Requires a wet lime-free humus rich soil by water or in shallow, still or slowly flowing water in full sun[200]. When grown on the pond margins it creeps in and out of the water[1]. Succeeds in water up to 25cm deep[188].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 2/5
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, 2, 55, 100, 183]. It is said to be very tasty[65]. Fruit (does this include the seed?) - it should be dried and then thoroughly cooked[172]. The dried fruit and rootstalk can be ground into an unpalatable but nutritious powder[172]. The seed is dried, cooked and ground into a powder[207].

• Fruit -
• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
• Seed - includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 2/5
Antirheumatic. Used in the treatment of colds and flu[172]. 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[222, 257]. The aerial stems have been used in the treatment of sore legs[257].

• Antirheumatic - Treats rheumatism.
• Poultice - A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

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[200]. 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[200]. 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[200].

Known Hazards

The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals[222]. 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[65].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

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