Bog Arum
Calla palustris
The Bog Arum is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It thrives in nutrient-poor bogs, marshes, and swampy woodlands, spreading via thick, creeping rhizomes. The plant is easily recognized by its glossy, heart-shaped leaves and its distinctive inflorescence, which features a bright white spathe surrounding a yellowish-green spadix. Its fruit consists of a cluster of red berries that are highly toxic to humans and most mammals.
Details
Oxygen production
Low, as most of the plant grows above the water surface.
Habitat function
Provides shelter for amphibian larvae and aquatic invertebrates in shallow shore zones.
Nutrient uptake
Moderate; extracts nutrients from water and sediment, but is adapted to nutrient-poor conditions.
Food source for
Fruits are consumed by water birds; flowers are visited by beetles and flies.
Human use
Occasionally used as an ornamental plant for garden ponds; no culinary use due to toxicity.
Ecology
Ecological role
Pioneer species in silting zones; provides food and habitat for specialized insects such as hoverflies.
Competitor species
Competitive sedges (Carex spp.) or reeds in cases of increasing eutrophication.
Ecosystem service
Contributes to peat formation and stabilizes muddy shorelines in bog water bodies.
Threats
Drainage of bogs, nitrogen input (eutrophication), and climate change (drying out of habitats).
Scientific profile
Profile
Reproduction
Generative via scarlet red berries (dispersal by water/hydrochory or birds/ornithochory) and vegetative via creeping, branched rhizomes.
Protection & threats
Main threats
Drainage of wetlands, eutrophication (nutrient input), destruction of alder carrs, and peat extraction.