Calla palustris L.
Wild calla, water arum
Wild calla is a North American native.
Plants: 4–16″ (10–40 cm) in size, partially submerged. They have a weak odor that is unpleasant to people, but that flies and beetles and even snails find appealing. Plants can form thick colonies.
Leaves: Leaves emerge on stalks up to 1′ (40 cm), above a submersed rootstalk. Leaves are heart-shaped (ovate), waxy, smooth, and smooth-edged, with edges tending to curl inward. There is a single leaf, 1¾–4½″ (5–12 cm) long, atop each stalk.
Flowers: A single white, waxy, heart-shaped “petal,” attached to the stalk at its base, appears to be the flower, but this is really a spathe, a specialized protective leaf. The actual flowerhead, called the spadix, is about 1″ (2.5 cm) long and ½″ (1.3 cm) around, also whitish, and covered with tiny white/green flowers that lack petals. The upper part of the flowerhead has unisexual staminate flowers, while the lower part is bisexual. The flower is supported on a stem 3–12″ (7.6–30 cm) above the water line. They appear from June to July.
Fruits: Irregular, angled, but roughly pear-shaped berries up to ½″ (1.3 cm) around, and bright red.
Habitats: Swamps, seasonally flooded bogs, stream banks, ditches, quagmires, and muddy lake shores.
Edibility: Poisonous. 
. All parts of the plant are toxic.
Calcium oxalate is probably the single most toxic component. Nevertheless, in times of poverty,
some peoples processed the plant in a way that reduced its toxicity, and mixed it with other foods.
Medical:
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 376
5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 6″ (12 × 14 cm) 
6/19/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine 
6/19/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine 
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 
6/5/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 7″ (24 × 17 cm) 
6/20/2021 · Heath, Cathance River Nature Preserve, Highland Green, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 11 × 7″ (26 × 18 cm) 
6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 8″ (20 × 20 cm) 
6/5/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 22 cm) 
6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 6″ (13 × 15 cm) 
6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 6″ (12 × 15 cm) 
6/19/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine 
| 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 | Calla | From Greek kallaia, “wattle of a cock.” perhaps from kallos, “beauty” |
| Species | palustris | Growing in marshes |
Calla palustris description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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