By Julie Etra

Zantedeschia aethiopica, Calla Lily. The famous lily seen is so many of Diego Rivera’s paintings is actually native to southern and east Africa and is not a true lily at all but a member of the Araceae family. It was named in honor of the famous Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi (plants are generally named after a person, and not necessarily the botanist that first described the plant, or according to their anatomy and description). The white ‘petal’ is a bract, or modified leaf, and the flower is actually the fleshy part that resides inside the bract and is called a spadix.  Although Victoria’s Dictionary of Flowers says is symbolizes ‘modesty’, in Australia it has been classified as a toxic weed and pest. All parts of the plant are poisonous due to the presence of calcium oxalate. It likes about 60% humidity and therefore grows well in the Sierra Sur.  It is important to plant the bulb at the correct depth so it has enough moisture and can root, and if planted too deeply can be subject to bacterial infections.  It is too hot along the Oaxacan coast for this plant but it is obviously cultivated in the Sierra and is readily available as a cut flower from many of the florists and street vendors in La Crucecita when brought down from the mountains. Continue reading “Beyond Roses” →