Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng.
Giant white arum lily, common arum lily, lily of the nile, calla lily, Easter lily, varkoor
The calla lily, or giant white arum lily, is native to Lesotho, South Africa, Kenya, and Swaziland in southern Africa. It is becoming naturalized in North America. The “arum lily” is not a member of either the Arum or Lilium genus.
Plants: These lilies reach 2–3′ (60–100 cm) in height, and are found in wet areas or shallow water.
Leaves: Sagittate (arrow-shaped) leaves are up to 1½′ (45 cm) long. Although evergreen, they will lose their leaves during dry periods.
Flowers: The pure white flower (actually a modified leaf called a spathe) is pure white, or a creamy pink color toward the center. It is up to 10″ (25 cm) long. The actual flower is the central spadix, which is yellow, tipped with white. It is up to 3½″ (9 cm) long.
Fruits: Berries are green or yellow, and about ⅜″ (1 cm) in diameter.
Habitats: On the banks of, or in, streams and ponds.
Edibility: Poisonous 
All parts of this plant contain
high levels of calcium oxalate, which produces a severe burning sensation when eaten, as well as
dermatitis.
Online References:
Calla aethiopica L.
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California 
ID is uncertain 
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 15 × 10″ (37 × 25 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Alismatidae | Aquatic and marshy plants |
| Order | Alismatales | Herbaceous flowering plants found in marshy habitats |
| Family | Araceae | Arum family, with plants whose flower is enclosed in a spathe |
| Genus | Zantedeschia | For Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi (1773–1846) |
| Species | aethiopica | Aethiopica doesn’t really mean Ethiopia: in classical times it meant south of the known world (Egypt and Libya) |
Zantedeschia aethiopica description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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