Calla palustris — water arum, wild calla
![Leaves: Calla palustris. ~ By Douglas McGrady. ~ Copyright © 2024 Douglas McGrady. ~ demcgrady[at]hotmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Araceae/calla-palustris-le-dmcgrady-b.jpg)
![Flowers: Calla palustris. ~ By John Lynch. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Araceae/calla-palustris-fl-jlynch.jpg)
![Leaves: Calla palustris. ~ By Douglas McGrady. ~ Copyright © 2024 Douglas McGrady. ~ demcgrady[at]hotmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Araceae/calla-palustris-le-dmcgrady-a.jpg)
![Inflorescences: Calla palustris. ~ By Walt & Louiseann Pietrowicz. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Araceae/calla-palustris-in-wlpietrowicz.jpg)
![Fruits: Calla palustris. ~ By Frank Bramley. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Araceae/calla-palustris-fr-fbramley.jpg)
![Plant form: Calla palustris. ~ By Adelaide Pratt. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Araceae/calla-palustris-ha-apratt.jpg)
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Wild calla is distributed across the northern temperate one, including Europe, Asia and northern North America. Calcium oxalate chrystals in the plant make it inedible unless processed by cooking or other means. Native Americans traditionally used this plant for limited medicinal purposes, including treating snakebites, swelling, and soreness.
Habitat
Marshes, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is roughly circular, as wide as long
- Leaf blade length
- 50–120 mm
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower petal length
- 0 mm
- Petal fusion
- NA
- Inflorescence type
-
- the inflorescence differs from the choices given
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Fruit length
- 6–12 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Axillary bulblets
- there are no bulblets being produced in axils
-
Flowers
- Anther attachment
- the anther is attached by its base to the filament
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
- Carpels fused
- NA
- Filament surface
- the filament surface has no hairs or scales on it
- Flower bract length
- 0 mm
- Flower bracts
- there are no bracts associated with the flower
- Flower number
- 3–900
- Flower orientation
- the flowers point upward or spread or curve outward
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower petal length
- 0 mm
- Flower shape
- NA
- Flower symmetry
- NA
- Form of style
- the style is knob-like at the tip, and unbranched
- Fringed petal edges
- NA
- Hairs on flower stalk
- NA
- Inflorescence hair glands
- the axis of the inflorescence has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence length
- 15–25 mm
- Inflorescence type
-
- the inflorescence differs from the choices given
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Inflorescence width
- 7–15 mm
- Length of flower stalk
- 0 mm
- Length of peduncle
- 150–300 mm
- Marks on petals
- NA
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 1
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals and/or petals
- there are no petals, sepals or tepals in the flower, or they are not clearly present
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes neither petals nor sepals
- Petal appearance
- NA
- Petal base
- NA
- Petal fusion
- NA
- Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
- NA
- Petal nectaries
- NA
- Sepal appearance
- NA
- Sepal length
- 0 mm
- Sepal orientation
- NA
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- NA
- Spathe
- the plant has a spathe surrounding the flower spike
- Spathe form
- the spathe just wraps around the base of the spike of flowers
- Spathe length
- 30–80 mm
- Stamen number
-
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamen types
- the stamens within a cycle are distinctly of two types
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
- Stamens fused outwards
- NA
- Style petal-like
- the style is not broad and flattened like a petal
- Tepals
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- red
- Capsule ridges
- NA
- Fruit compartments
- there is only one locule in the fruit
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is round in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 6–12 mm
- Fruit stalk orientation
- NA
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Fruit width
- 5–10 mm
- Other markings on berry
- the ripe fruits are mostly one color without spots or streaks
-
Glands or sap
- Sap
- the sap is milky and opaque, and may be white or colored
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Root septa
- the roots do not have transverse septa
- Underground organs
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade basal lobes
- the leaf blades do not have basal lobes
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
- Leaf blade base shape
- The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes) or sagittate (arrow-shaped, with pointed, backward-facing lobes)
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf blade has no noticeable waxy or powdery bloom
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section
- Leaf blade faces
- both surfaces of the leaf blade are exposed
- Leaf blade form
- Fully-formed (i.e., expanded), +/- green leaf blades are found somewhere on the plant
- Leaf blade length
- 50–120 mm
- Leaf blade orientation
- the upper surface of the leaf blade faces the stem of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is roughly circular, as wide as long
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade tip
- the tip of the leaf blade is acuminate (tapers to a long, thin point)
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins are palmate, (and do not arch towards the leaf tip) or pinnate
- Leaf blade width
- 40–140 mm
- Leaf stalk length
- 60–400 mm
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
- Leaflet number
- 0
- Stipule twining
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on this plant
-
Place
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of wetlands
- marshes
- shores of rivers or lakes
- swamps
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the leaves have no particular smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem growth form
- the flowering stem is held upright
- Flowering stem leaves
- there are no true leaves on the flowering stem
- Stem hairs
- NA
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
- Rhode Island
- concern (code: C)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Calla palustris L. N
wild calla. CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT; throughout. Marshes, laggs, swamps, and lake borders.