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Home > Plant profiles > Pink Mist
Pink Mist
 Botanical name: Zantedeschia x aethiopica.
Common names: Arum lily, Lily of the Nile
Origin: East and South Africa
Comments: The genus of Zantedeschia are members of the Arum family. The primary distinguishing characteristic of all the Arums is the flower is actually not a flower at all. It is a fleshy modified leaf or spathe. The actual flowers are multiple with infinitesimal male flowers covering the tip and larger female flowers covering the bottom of the upright finger like spadix which is wrapped in the middle of the spathe. They are durable, long lasting and are fantastic as cut flowers. Individual blooms can last up to 4 weeks depending on the temperature.
Tips: Zantedeschias are grown from rhizomes, ideally in wetter areas of the garden. They make an impact near dams and ponds.
Avoid eating them as they can cause stomach upsets, and contact with the skin can cause irritations. May have a dormant period during the winter months, and could take a few years before the flowers have the distinctive pink throat. Propagate from suckers removed from the base of the plant in late Winter or Spring.
Contacts:
The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants.
The Australian Gardening Encyclopedia – Better Homes and Gardens.
Family: Araceae.
Plant type: Tuber. This plant is almost evergreen but has a semi to fully dormant period in mid summer when the flowering stops and the foliage goes yellow.
Size (HxW): 1m x 0.5m.
Depth and spacing: Plant with 1-2cm of soil covering the crown of the plant (with the swollen ‘eyes’ pointing upwards) in a hole large enough to spread the roots out in. Space 1m apart.
Watering: For best results, keep this plant moist whilst actively growing.
Frost tolerance: Heavy frosts may mark or kill the foliage but the rhizome will remain unharmed.
Flowering time: This plant typically flowers most in spring and autumn. It also will flower for much of the summer although the height of summer flowering will stop when temperatures reach above 25ºC. The pink colour is more prominent in the warmer months of the year.
Soil: Moist and slightly acidic (ie: pH 5.8-6.6).
Climate: Cool to sub-tropical.
Aspect: Full sun to semi shade.
Fertilizer: Use a low nitrogen fertilizer (organic fertilizers) every other year. A biannual top dressing of dolomite lime will also be beneficial.
Pruning: None other than the occasional tidy up.
Comments: Immature flowers will appear a creamy white and will darken to pink as the plant matures.
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