Warning
Seek urgent medical attention if lips or tongue become swollen or if there is difficulty breathing or swallowing.
Description
Cultivated as an ornamental, this herb can grow up to 1m tall. Sometimes used in floral arrangements.
Flowers consist of a white to creamy-white spathe, and a central golden yellow spike that is shorter than the spathe. The spathe is about 12–25cm long and tapers to a fine point.
The leaves are fleshy, smooth and shiny, shaped like an arrowhead, about 30cm long, on a 60cm stalk.
Toxicity
Symptoms
All parts of the plant are poisonous including the yellow spike and surrounding white spathe. If eaten, symptoms can include swelling of the tongue and throat, stomach pain, vomiting and severe diarrhoea. Severe swelling or gastric irritation may become life threatening.
Images
Details
Common name: Arum lily
Botanical name: Zantedeschia aethiopica.
Other common names: Calla lily
Family: Araceae
General description: Cultivated as an ornamental, this herb can grow up to 1m tall. Sometimes used in floral arrangements.
Flowers: Flowers consist of a white to creamy-white spathe, and a central golden yellow spike that is shorter than the spathe. The spathe is about 12–25cm long and tapers to a fine point.
Leaves: The leaves are fleshy, smooth and shiny, shaped like an arrowhead, about 30cm long, on a 60cm stalk.
Fruit/Berries: The fruit are globular succulent berries in an enlarged cluster, orange-yellow, about 10mm in diameter.
Other: The sap is clear.