Zantedeschia aethiopica

Panos & Stavros Dimopoulos (April 17, 2005)

Panos & Stavros Dimopoulos (April 17, 2005)

Courtesy UC Irvine Arboretum

Zantedeschia aethiopica flowers, from late winter to late spring, with male and female flowers interspersed in the lower part of the spadix. The fruits turn orange and become soft and mucilaginous with maturity. New Zealand currently produces one species and two cultivars of Z. aethiopica (i.e., Z. aethiopica 'Childsiana' , 'Green Goddess' and 'Pink Mist' ). Z. aethiopica and its cultivars are scented.

This species grows well in wet conditions, and produces an upright thickened rhizomatous stem. Selections of Z. aethiopica naturally produce between 25 to 30 rhizomatous offsets after 6 months growth. This rapid growth can sometimes lead to the plant becoming a weed, because of its ability to grow from small pieces of rhizomes or seeds. Hybridization between Z. aethiopica and the group 2 species has, however, not been successful.

Z. aethiopica is almost completely confined to the south and eastern coastal belt of Southern Africa, but is also found in the southern eastern mountainous regions at altitudes upto 1000 m.

Z. aethiopica originates from a warm-temperate climatic zone, but also extend into the cool-temperate zones, becoming established in areas that do not freeze. This warm-temperate zone is typified by rainfall in the winter, but those that are endemic to regions with summer rainfall, the plants occupy habitats of marshes or swamps. Selections of Z. aethiopica grow and flower during late winter to spring in their native habitat, and will continue to flower unless extremes of temperature are experienced (i.e., temperatures less than 12 C, or an upper limit of 28 C, or if irrigation becomes the limiting factor. They are also intolerant of heat or dryness. In order to extend the flowering season during summer, cooling is required, and this can be achieved with the use of shade cloth.

Z. aethiopica grows to 120 cm tall and has ovate-cordate or hastate shaped leaves upto 60 cm in length. Leaf maculations are rare, and the species is thus described as immaculate, however, maculate forms have been noted. The spathes are white to ivory-white, without a purple blotch at the interior base, which is common in other species.

Ian Gardner