The calla lily is an intriguing and attractive flower, and the myth behind its creation goes back to Ancient Greek times. It also holds religious significance in several cultures and religions. But what are its benefits? How can you use this flower?
Calla lily blooms purify the air in your space and absorb the carbon dioxide and other pollutants, increasing its quality and making it fresher. The underground stem of calla lily flowers is used in traditional South African medicine as a dressing to treat wounds.
There are a lot of things to know about this flower, so keep on reading to learn more about it.
What Are Calla Lily Benefits?
Calla lily flowers hold a spiritual significance and are used in cut flower arrangements and indoor and outdoor pots to add life to your living space. Here are the different benefits of calla lily flowers.
Aesthetic Benefits
Calla lily flowers look like trumpets, and these blooms signify triumph and positive changes. They bring a sense of peace and purity to any space, whether they’re used in indoor or outdoor plant pots. There are different hybrids of calla lilies that come in different shades, so you can use them to add life and color to your landscape.
Calla lily flowers can last up to 10 days or even more with proper care when cut. As a result, they’re among the most popular flowers in cut flowers arrangements because they stay in bloom for long.
These flowers can be cut any time when they’re in bloom, but it’s best to cut them for flower arrangements just before or on the day they open to make sure that they’ll last for long. You should use a pair of sharp and sterilized shears to cut the stems and pick younger blooms for a long-lasting effect.
Odor Benefits
Calla lilies will fill your indoor or outdoor space with a pleasant and clean odor. These blooms have a soft, elegant, and pure fragrance that’s not too overpowering. Instead, it’s smooth and soft, just like the look of the flowers.
The smell of calla lilies is a mix of different flowers like jasmine, lily of the valley, and rose violet notes in a delicate fragrance that doesn’t last for long. As a result, these flowers are suitable for those who are looking for a flower that looks exceptional but doesn’t offer an overpowering smell.
Health Benefits
Calla lily flowers purify the air and make it fresher. During the photosynthesis process, the plant absorbs the carbon dioxide from the air and releases oxygen to clean the air.
The plant is also known to absorb other harmful particles and airborne pollutants in the air, including trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, and benzene. So, if you live near an industrial area or where there’s a lot of traffic, you can plant these flowers in your backyard or in the house to enjoy the fresh air.
When boiled, calla lily flowers can be used to treat headaches and skin injuries. Nevertheless, their use was always limited because the flowers are toxic.
A paste made from the boiled leaves and stems, when mixed with milk, can be applied to wounds to treat them. This plant contains several chemicals that can accelerate wound healing.
Spiritual Benefits
Calla lily flowers have a strong spiritual significance. They can be linked to transitions, so; they’re used in weddings as well as funerals because they show change. They’re used in several artistic contexts to establish the relationship between two opposing forces or concepts.
Some spiritual and energy healers use calla lily flowers and their essence to help restore balance. They’re significant to those who struggle with their gender identity, sexuality, or their life purpose. The flowers can bring harmony and balance between the yin and yang energies, helping people overcome several obstacles.
Are Calla Lily Flowers Edible?
Despite their gorgeous look and interesting significance, calla lilies aren’t edible and are actually toxic to humans and pets. Unlike other flowers which you can put on top of your salad or use to make a syrup or jam, calla lilies should be entirely avoided.
These flowers belong to the Araceae family, and although they look gorgeous, they cause pain and discomfort when ingested, even in the smallest amounts. This is why they should be avoided.
Calla lilies contain calcium oxalates which cause nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and swelling, even when they’re indigested in tiny amounts. If you accidentally eat a big amount of calla lilies, you’re likely to suffer from dehydration and heart palpitations, which can lead to coma or even death when left untreated.
The sharp crystals are present in every part of the plant and will immediately injure the mouth and its lining. They also cut the tongue, throat, gums, and upper digestive tract, causing a feeling that resembles chewing on broken glass.
However, these calcium oxalates can be partially removed by boiling the flowers. Nevertheless, they can still be dangerous when consumed in small amounts.
Pets shouldn’t eat or consume any parts of the calla lily flowers. Although these flowers are common in several gardens and outdoor landscape designs, they’re toxic to cats and dogs. Dogs and cats can’t digest calcium oxalates, so if they accidentally eat these flowers, they’ll get extremely sick.
The juice of the calla lilies is also poisonous, even when it gets in contact with the skin. It causes a burning sensation which develops into a painful swelling, so it’s best to avoid all parts of the plant.
What Should You Do If Your Child Accidentally Eats Calla Lily?
Calla lilies are beautiful, but behind this beauty lies a painful truth. The innocent-looking flowers are quite irritating and can cause a lot of pain when ingested.
Calla lilies poisoning is quite rare, especially in adults. Adults are usually aware that these beautiful flowers aren’t edible, and even if they don’t know that they’re harmful, the pain will stop them from ingesting a big amount. However, things can be different if we’re talking about kids.
Kids are curious and might try eating a calla lily because the flower looks attractive, especially if they’ve previously had a pleasant experience after eating another flower. If your child accidentally ingests any part of the calla lily, there are a few things that you need to do.
- Do a quick assessment to determine the number of calla lilies that your child has accidentally consumed. In most cases, the pain from biting on the calla lilies is enough to stop your kid from swallowing the plant, so the damage will probably be restricted to the mouth area.
- Wipe your child’s mouth with water and offer a cool drink or yogurt. This will help calm the pain in the mouth.
- Watch for any signs of swelling because it might prevent breathing. If you notice any problems with breathing, head to the nearest hospital.
What Are the Symptoms of Calla Lily Poisoning in Pets?
The calcium oxalate crystals harm your pet the minute it chews on the flowers, and the first sign that your pet has consumed these flowers is strong mouth pain followed by drooling. These crystals are sharp and will hurt the delicate lining of the mouth and digestive tract.
Your pet might throw up or scratch its mouth because of the pain. In some cases, the flowers cause swelling that obstructs breathing.
Your dog or cat will probably stop playing and eating because of the pain. But the injury will resolve soon if it only consumes a small amount.
Wrap Up
As I stated right at the start, there are plenty of Calla Lily benefits to note. Calla lily flowers are beautiful and can remove the airborne pollutants from the air we breathe. However, these flowers aren’t edible because they contain calcium oxalates. When eaten, even in the smallest amounts, these flowers cause injuries to the mouth, tongue, and gum.
Moreover, these flowers are toxic to pets. So, you should keep your dog or cat away from them.
Back to Petals And Hedges home page