Calla
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| Calla palustris L. |
Calla (Bog Arum) is a genus of flowering plant in the family Araceae, containing the single species Calla palustris. It is native to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in central, eastern and northern Europe (France and Norway eastward), northern Asia and northern North America (Alaska, Canada, northeastern contiguous United States).
It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant growing in bogs and ponds. The leaves are rounded to heart-shaped, 6–12 cm long on a 10–20 cm petiole, and 4–12 cm broad. The flowers are produced in a spadix comprising a white spathe 4–6 cm long, and a greenish-yellow inflorescence 3–4 cm long. The fruit is a cluster of red berries, each berry containing several seeds.
The plant is very poisonous when fresh due to its high oxalic acid content, but the rhizome is edible after drying, grinding, leaching and boiling.
The genus formerly also included a number of other species, which have now been transferred to the separate genus Zantedeschia. These plants, from tropical Africa, are however still often termed "calla lilies", but should not be confused with C. palustris.
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