PlantFiles: Black Calla Lily
Arum palaestinum

Really great plants!! I had two Dracunculus bloom a season before these showed up. I had to emergency transplant three plants when I put in a path a few days ago, will see if they survive. These survived frosts and mild winters well and seem to be very prolific, attracting small gnats and flies occasionally, but with little or no noticable smell. I have no idea where they came from, but I love them very much. They are beautiful and exotic and seem to be fairly hardy. I am interested in trading these bulbs for other aroids, especially any corpse flowers that do well in cooler climates.

I discovered a single plant in a neighbors yard and took it to a local nursery. Several people said that they too have them groing in their yards but never planted them. I am assuming that the berries are edible and have been carried by birds to these locations. My reading on this plant is not supporting that they should exist in this area. I live in Washington state in what is considered to be zone 5, our soil is mostly sand and water is light. Most delightful flower and no smell as of yet. Winters here can be very cold but not much snow.

We bought a house in August. The previous owner had a number of Great Danes. The dogs destroyed what was probably a beautiful yard at one time. For months we worked and watered...suddenly in the flower bed I have beautiful deep purple lillies. They bloomed the first week in March.
More leaves are filling the bed, I hope to continue enjoying these beautiful velvet blooms. They are growing in a shady north facing wall.

We have had great success by ignoring this plant altogether. It has grown in mass about three times in size in three years. It was planted by the orginal owners of our home. This year we noticed new leafs emerging about four feet away from the main body. We assume that it is from runners. ALso the smell of the flowers seems to change. First year smelled very strongly of decay. This year almost no scent at all. Has anybody divided with success?

This is a very unusual-looking flower. I have sniffed them on purpose and have never detected any odor. The plant in my picture is growing in full sun and the flowers look more red than those grown in more shade. The flowers last longer in the shade. It is a no-brainer plant to grow in this climate (zone 10, inland southern California) but is not invasive. It doesn't mind water in the dormant season (summer and fall).

This gorgeous plant has been popping up everywhere in my east bay yard since at least the early 1950's. The velvety purply black spike and inner lining of the bract are a stunning contrast to the succulent vivid green of the 8-12 inch leaves. Unlike some these to do not seem to give off a bad cat pee like odor as is sometimes described. They seem to have begun blooming about the first of march this year and havent yet come out in their full glory.

My Black Calla appeared three years ago in the middle of a large bed of White Callas.
The Flower is almost as large as the White's. After about a week in sunlight, highlights
fade to dark Purple. It only blooms in Feb. Usually has only 4 flowers. Hight is over 30"
It has no odor, or berries. Location is in the Bay Area, South of San Francisco, on the Coast.
Bloom lasts aboyt 14 days.

Single vertical spathe unfurls to display deep purple/black spadix up to 10" long lasting only a few days, attracting fruit flies with its essence of rotting fruit. Seed cluster develops at spadix end, with corn-like kernels turning orange-red by mid-summer. Highly uncommon in this area north of SF Bay, California.