any southern African plant of the aroid genus Zantedeschia, esp Z. aethiopica, which has a white funnel-shaped spathe enclosing a yellow spadix
2.
an aroid plant, Calla palustris, that grows in wet places and has a white spathe enclosing a greenish spadix, and red berries
Word origin
C19: from New Latin, probably from Greek kalleia wattles on a cock, probably from kallos beauty
calla in American English
(ˈkælə)
noun
1.
any of several plants (genus Zantedeschia) of the arum family, with a conspicuous white, yellow, or pink spathe surrounding a club-shaped, yellow spadix; specif., a plant (Z. aethiopica), having a large, showy, white spathe enclosing a yellow spadix
: also calla lily
2.
the wild calla (Calla palustris), a bog plant of the arum family, having greenish-white spathes and bearing bright-red berries
Word origin
ModL < L calla, calsa, a plant (of uncert. kind): so named by Linnaeus