Zantedeschia odorata, Scented White Arum Lily Seeds, Indigenous Perennial Bulb

Zantedeschia odorata Seeds

Scented White Arum Lily

Zantedeschia odorata are deciduous, medium to tall plants up to 75cm tall. Their leaves are broadly ovate and not speckled. Spathes are cylindrical and white. The flowers are scented and appear from late July and August. Zantedeschia odorata is restricted to an area known as Klip Koppies at Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape. The outcrops are formed by large dolerite boulders which break down to form a red clay soil which retains water well in the rainy season. The plants grow in crevices between the boulders, where at least the lower part of the plant is in cool shade. The roots are in seasonally very wet soil or sometimes in standing water. They are well suited to pot culture. Zantedeschia odorata is very popular as cut flowers and as an ornamental. Zantedeschia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. They are indigenous to South Africa but also occur north towards Malawi. The name of the genus was given as a tribute to Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi. Common names include arum lily, calla and calla lily although it is neither a true lily (Liliaceae), nor an Arum or a Calla (related genera in Araceae). In Afrikaans some common names include aronskelk and varkoor. It has often been used in paintings, and is visible in many of Diego Rivera's works of art. It was a favourite subject of the painter Georgia O'Keeffe. Zantedeschia species are rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plants growing to 1-2.5 m tall with leaves 15–45 cm long. The inflorescence is a showy white, yellow or pink spathe shaped like a funnel with a yellow, central, finger-like spadix. Currently 8 true species are recognized, these being Zantedeschia aethiopica (Giant White Arum Lily or Common Arum Lily), Zantedeschia albomaculata (Spotted Leaved White Arum Lily), Zantedeschia elliottiana (Yellow or Golden Arum Lily), Zantedeschia jucunda, Zantedeschia odorata, Zantedeschia pentlandii, Zantedeschia rehmannii (Pink Arum Lily) and Zantedeschia valida. All Zantedeschias produce large, showy flowers spathes and are often grown both as ornamental plants and for cut flowers. Zantedeschia are cold hardy plants, but some are more winter-hardy than others. The white Zantedeschia aethiopica and some of its relatives can survive at minimum winter temperatures below -23°C.