Species · genus Zantedeschia · Araceae
Pink Arum
Zantedeschia rehmannii Engl.
Also known as: Pink Calla · Red Calla · Purple Arum · Red Arum
Cultivars of Z. rehmannii
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under Z. rehmannii yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.
Guide
The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.
The pink calla
Zantedeschia rehmannii, the pink calla, is a tender rhizomatous perennial that forms a modest clump of dark green, lance-shaped leaves. Through summer it sends up funnel-shaped pink spathes, each wrapped around a yellow spadix, giving it an exotic look on a comparatively small frame.
Source: RHS
African wetland roots
This species belongs to the wider Zantedeschia genus, whose members come from the swampy regions of eastern and southern Africa. Zantedeschia rehmannii itself is native to South Africa and Swaziland, which explains its taste for warmth and its wariness of frost.
Source: RHS
Light, water and feeding
Grow it in full sun, in a sheltered spot with peat-free, loam-based potting compost. While it is in growth, water freely and feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser every two to three weeks. Once flowering is done and the leaves die back, the plant needs a dry winter dormancy in a frost-free, preferably dark place, with growth and watering picking up again in spring.
Source: RHS
By seed or division
New plants can be raised from seed or by dividing established clumps.
Source: RHS
Compact and clump-forming
It stays modest in scale, reaching no more than about 40cm in height and spread, with a clump-forming habit and deciduous foliage. The pink, funnel-shaped spathe can reach around 12cm long, standing out against the plain lance-shaped leaves and the yellow spadix at its centre.
Source: RHS
Watch for spider mite
This calla can be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, though it is otherwise generally free of disease.
Source: RHS
Cold and overwatering
Temperatures below 5°C can kill tender calla lilies such as this one, so it needs to come indoors before the first frosts. The reverse mistake, too much water during its winter dormancy, can cause the rhizomes to rot, so restraint with the watering can matters as much as warmth.
Source: RHS
Deadhead as flowers fade
As each flower begins to fade, pull the whole stem out at its base. This is the extent of the pruning this plant needs.
Source: RHS
Care recipe
The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.
Care notes are early — not yet verified
- Light
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Water
- ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Bright, indirect
≈ every 14 days
Medium
13–26 °C
Well-draining, humus-rich potting mix
Division of tubers during dormancy
Balanced liquid feed monthly during the growing season
Moderate
Pink to rose spathes in summer; a dry dormancy period encourages reblooming
Toxic to cats & dogs & humans
Araceae family contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate mouth and digestive tract This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.
Reference images
Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.
Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Pink Arum yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
Sign in to add what you know →