Bog arum, Wild calla, Water arum, Water dragon
Calla palustris
Family: Araceae
What it is like
A creeping plant. It has a creeping rhizome. This can be 15-50 cm long. It has round, shiny, heart shaped leaves. They are pointed and firm and leathery. The flowers are lily like and white. The flowers are pollinated by water snails. The fruit spikes are made up of red berries.
There is only one Calla species.
Where it is found
It grows in temperate places. It grows in meadows, swamps, in shallow water below 1100 m in northern China. It grows near the edge of water. It cannot tolerate more than 5 cm of water over its crown.
Countries/locations it is found in
Alaska, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Britain, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe, France, Germany, Korea, Luxembourg, North America, Russia, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Turkey, Türkiye, USA
How it is used for food
The starch of the root is used for adding to bread flour after removing the acrid element. This is done by drying, grinding then heating. The leaves are eaten in Bangladesh. It needs special preparation to remove oxalates. The dried seeds thoroughly and they are then ground into flour.
It is a famine food.
Edible parts
Fruit, roots, rhizome, seeds, leaves
How it is grown
It is grown by division of the rootstock. Plants can also be grown by seeds.
Its other names
Local names
D'ablik bahenni, Kachu, Khlebnik, Khlebnitsa, Marsh calla, Močvirska kačunka, Soovonk, Vehka, Zhitnitsa