Zantedeschia aethiopica

Anyway back to this handsome plant with its very distinctive flower. The flower is made up of a long finger-like piece called the spadix that is half surrounded by a cone shaped fleshy leaf-like structure known as the spathe. The spathe in this case is a lovely creamy white but there are other species with different colours. There is a variety of Z. aethiopica called “Green Goddess” which has a green colouration towards the end of the spathe. This variety is now becoming popular in gardening circles. The flowers are produced on the spadix with the small male flowers at the end and the female flowers near the base.
Arum lilies like to live in wetlands as can be seen when you encounter these plants in the wild. They occur naturally from the southern most tip of Africa up through the Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and inland up into the Free State and parts of Gauteng where the conditions are suitable. These wetland soils are rich in humus and nutrients that result in better summer growth. The winter rainfall plants just change their dormancy time from winter to summer to suite their growing climate. I would suggest to gardeners that they source plants that are suited to their local climate don’t bring summer rainfall plants to the Mediterranean climate of the Cape.
These are ideal plants at the edge of a pond or under a tap or near a soak pit where water is always available. The large fleshy leaved plants can reach just over a metre tall if grown under optimum conditions. This is a plant that has a wide amplitude of survivability given adequate water and nutrients during its growing period. They love to grow in full sun with wet feet. But will tolerate shade if they are allowed to rest in the dormant season depending on where you live in the country. I often place them against a south facing cool shady wall of a house to grow where not much else will do in the perpetual shade. Once the female flowers are pollinated the fleshy fruits with the seeds within develop and take on the look of a misshapen miniature pineapple. Once the fruits are ripe the flesh turns yellow. It is now time to remove the seeds from the flesh and sow in seedling trays of sand and compost. The seeds germinate in about 4-6 weeks depending on the climate. Young plants develop quite rapidly and will produce their first flowers in about 3 years from seed.
These flowers are great as cut flowers and the plants themselves make a good show with their very shapely leaves.
Bushpig and Porcupine eat the bulbs, with humans using the leaves and bulbs in traditional medicine. Birds and mammals eat the fruits. Silver-striped Hawk Moth larvae feeding on leaves. In the western Cape the Arum Lily Frog  but here with us it is usually the Painted Reed Frog that favours resting up during the day in the narrow end of the “cone” that is formed by the spathe surrounding the spadix.