Zantedeschia 'Black Magic'

Common Name: calla lily 
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Araceae
Zone: 8 to 10
Height: 2.00 to 2.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: July to August
Bloom Description: Yellow with black throat
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Annual, Water Plant, Rain Garden
Flower: Showy, Good Cut
Leaf: Colorful
Tolerate: Wet Soil

Culture

Winter hardy to USDA Zone 8-10. May be hardy in Zone 7 with protection. Plant rhizomes in spring after threat of frost has passed. Best in moist to wet soils with part shade. Tolerates full sun in some climates, but prefers part shade in the St. Louis area. Lift rhizomes in fall and store in a damp medium such as peat or immediately replant in containers to overwinter as a houseplant. Calla lilies may be planted in shallow water in mud at the edge of ponds or water gardens. In this case, the rhizomes could arguably survive a St. Louis winter if the covering water does not freeze to the bottom. May also be grown year round in containers that must be brought indoors in winter before first frost. Overwintering containers placed near a window with bright indirect light can make attractive houseplants.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Zantedeschia is a genus of 6 species from southern and eastern Africa. Many hybrids have been developed. Commonly called calla lilies, they are not true lilies, but are arum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) family members. They are stemless plants whose flowers and leaves rise directly from rhizomes. The blooms are popular in cut flower arrangements.

Genus name honors Giovanni Zantedeschi (1773-1846), Italian botanist.

'Black Magic' has trumpet-shaped bright yellow flowers with a black throat at the base of the spadix. It grows 2 to 2.5 ft. tall and 1 to 1.5 ft. wide with broadly arrow-shaped leaves with white spots.

Problems

Susceptible to rhizome rot. Japanese beetles may feed on the flowers/foliage.

Uses

Borders, containers, pond peripheries, water gardens or houseplants.