The Meaning Behind Calla Lily Flower

You may have calla lily flowers in your garden. And then, everytime you see this flower, you may think of giving this flower to someone. But, do you know the meaning behind the Calla Lily flower? Let’s find out the meaning of this beautiful flower here.

Story of Calla Lily Flowers According to Ancient Greeks

The story of how calla lily flowers appear on earth comes from the Ancient Greeks. According to this story, Zeus was not a very nice guy. He was cheating with a mortal earth woman named Alceme. Then she got pregnant and had a son named Hercules. However, he was half-mortal so that he did not have any special powers like a god.

So, to giving him divine super-powers. Zeus drugged his wife, Hera, and deceived her into breastfeeding Hercules. When Hera woke up, Hercules was thrown away by her. Then the most beautiful flowers named calla lilies formed by two drops of her breast milk which fell to earth. The flowers were given a name after the Ancient Greek word for beauty “Kallos”.

The Meaning of Calla Lilies According to Romans Egyptians

This flower was associated with eroticism and sexuality. It was because there was a myth that the goddess of love, Venus, was jealous over the flower. She saw it as a rival and gave it its large pistil at its center.

How about the Egyptians? They also noted the same human resemblance. However, they took a slightly more reserved approach where they linked the flower to fertility and the inception of children.

The Meaning of Calla Lilies According to Victorians

How about Victorians? How did they see this flower? Victorians created a very reserved society. For them, the talk about love, sex, or anything related to it was very taboo. So, calla lily bouquets had a role of secret messenger in Victorian Britain. They included calla lily flowers in their intricately coded floral designs and it was an indication of sexual desire.

The Meaning of Calla Lilies in the Modern Times

Above, you have read the meaning behind calla lily flowers according to Ancient Greek, Romans Egyptians, and Victorians. And, what about today? In the modern era, this flower still has symbols as you are able to read below.

• The meaning of white calla lilies is purity and innocence. Usually, these flowers are common at funerals of younger people where it symbolizes that they have passed before their time.
• The meaning of yellow calla lilies is joy and growth. These flowers are usually included in a bouquet for celebrating a birth or a big life change.
• The meaning of pink calla lilies is appreciation and admiration. These flowers are usually used in a Bouquet with the aim to thank someone for what they have given you.
• The meaning of red calla lilies is intense passion. These flowers are used for expressing a hot romance through flowers.
• The meaning of blue calla lilies is femininity and refined beauty. These flowers are usually used for Mother’s Day or a gift for a girlfriend.

Some Facts About Calla Lilies

According to Truly Experiences, here are some facts about calla lilies.

• These flowers are native to South Africa and these flowers were first catalogued in the mid 1700s.
• Calla Lily is popular for their hardiness. It is able to grow almost anywhere even it can grow in water. This flower also can survive the icy chill of frost. This flower is resilient so that it can be a good choice for a beginner gardener.
• The pig lily, the trumpet lily and the arum lily are the other common names for calla lily.
• Call lily is toxic to animals and humans. So, if you have this flower at your home, this flower needs to be kept away from kids and pets. If you consume any part of the calla lily plant, there will be side effects that you will experience such as gastrointestinal upsets and swelling of the throat, tongue and lips. Nevertheless, in some countries, this flower is still considered a delicacy. The bulbs of this flower are cultivated for cooking and it is done by removing the toxic inner flowers.
• There are more than one flower in each calla lily. There is singular exterior petal to protective for the inner flowers into an elegant swirl known “Spathe”. And there is spandix; It is yellow inner of calla lily.
• In groups, they can grow bestand they thrive when there are other plants like it close by. It is better to arrange them in a triangular shape and spaced out a few inches apart.

History of Calla Lilies

Calla lilies are from  South Africa and Malawi. However, there is no clear information how they made their way to Europe.

These flowers were catalogued firstly in the 18th century by a Swedish botanist. This botanist mitskanely named the species calla lily. It is because these flowers are not lilies at all. Actually, these flowers are part of the Araceae family together with the caladium and philodendron. After that, there was a German botanist who realized the error and created the genus Zantedeschia. However, it was too late so that until now the name is calla lily.

In the 20th century, these flowers had grown in popularity in the U.S. In American art, these flowers were popular especially through the work of Georgia O’Keeffe. Several popular paintings which portrayed close-up of the flower were painted by her.

As explained earlier, these flowers are toxic so you have to make sure that your children and pets do not eat them. However, the underground step of this flower was used as a medical treatment for dressing wounds in South Africa. Now, these flowers are usually used in bridal bouquets and funeral arrangements.

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Well, that’s the information about calla lilies meaning according to some sources such as Truly Experiences, Bouqs and ProFlowers.