Bog arum (Calla palustris) care guide
- Group
- Plants
- Other names
- Marsh calla, Wild calla, Water-arum
- Family
- Araceae (arum family)
- Origin
- Cool temperate Europe, northern Asia and northern North America
- Water
- freshwater
- Maximum size
- 30 cm
- Temperature
- 2–22°C
- pH
- 5–7
- Hardness
- Soft (estimate)
- Care level
- expert
- Lighting
- Full sun to part shade, emersed
Care
Warning: this is a bog and pond-margin plant, not a true aquarium plant. Kept fully underwater it slowly weakens and dies, so grow it emersed in a paludarium, bog garden or pond margin, with only its roots and crown in shallow water. Bog arum (family Araceae) is the only member of its genus, a rhizomatous perennial of bogs and pond edges in the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere: central, eastern and northern Europe, northern Asia and northern North America. It has heart-shaped to rounded leaves 6–12 cm long on stalks of 10–20 cm, small greenish-yellow flowers on a spadix inside a white spathe, and clusters of red berries. Grow it at the edge of a pond, with the creeping rhizome in shallow water or wet mud. It is very poisonous when fresh, because of its high oxalic acid content. Water figures are our estimate, not from the sources. It is a cold-hardy plant for ponds and quite unsuitable for tropical tanks. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callapalustris); Wikipedia, List of freshwater aquarium plant species. Checked October 2026.
Breeding
Cut the creeping rhizome into pieces, each with a bud, and lay them on wet mud or in shallow water. It can also be grown from the seeds in its red berries.
Compatibility and tank mates
Do not sell or buy it as a true aquarium plant; it belongs in a paludarium, bog garden or damp border. It is a pond-edge plant, and very poisonous to people and pets if eaten fresh.
Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.