In response to Diana's question - “What
is your big-leaved plant?” Mine would have to be the White Arum
Lily.
Zantedeschia aethiopica, commonly known
as Arum Lily in South Africa, Calla Lily in many places and sometimes
Easter Lily in England and Ireland. It is however not a lily but
comes from the Aracaea family which also includes Anthuriums,
Philodendrons and delicious monsters.
Common to most members of this family
is a modified leaf known as a spathe. This is the part that most us
would think of as the flower petal.
Beautiful white spathe
Unopened spathes are pale green
The actual flower is a cluster of
minute flowers on a central column known as a spadix. On Zantedeschia
aethiopica the top part bears male flowers and the bottom carries the
female flowers. About ¾ of this spadix carries male flowers.
Yellow spadix on Zantedeschia aethiopica
The common Arum originates from South
Africa and is found from the Western Cape all along the coast, even
spreading as far as the Northern Province. This vast range covers a
wide variety of climatic conditions, from salty coastal air to chilly
high altitude mountains. It will grow and flower in winter and summer
rainfall areas. If it remains moist all year it will remain green,
yet if it naturally receives no water in the dry period it will die
back. It's large underground rhizome allows it to spring back to life
as soon as the rainy season begins. Being tolerant of so many growing
conditions makes Zantadeschia a very obliging garden specimen. They
tend to grow taller and carry larger leaves in shady conditions, in
sun the leaves are smaller but they flower more prolifically.
Typical large leaf in shady conditions
I have them in a number of different
areas in my garden and those that receive water from my rainwater
tanks in summer remain evergreen and flower sporadically throughout
the year. The others disappear and remain dormant in our hot, dry and
summer but grow incredibly fast as soon as the winter rains begin.
It is also a great plant for wildlife,
attracting numerous flying and crawling insects, including bees and
my favourite crab spider. In the wild the rhizome is eaten by pigs
and porcupines, luckily none of those in my garden, but the snails do
have a feast. The berries which turn yellow when ripe are eaten by
birds which aid seed dispersal.
Unripe fruit
The leaf on the right almost totally demolished by snails.
Definitely worth planting if you live
in it's natural range. Although popular in many parts of the world,
plant with caution, in Western Australia it has become a weed.
