Yellow Hedysarum vs Water Arum - TreeTime.ca

Yellow Hedysarum vs Water Arum

Hedysarum sulphurescens

Calla palustris

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Yellow Hedysarum
Water Arum

Yellow Hedysarum is a native perennial wildflower recognized for its clusters of pale yellow to creamy-white, pea-like blooms. Flowering from late spring into summer, it adds subtle colour to grasslands, roadsides, and open woods while attracting a variety of pollinators, especially bumblebees.

As a nitrogen-fixing plant, Yellow Hedysarum enriches soils and supports the growth of surrounding vegetation. Its deep taproot and extensive root system make it drought-tolerant and effective at stabilizing soil. Grizzly bears are known to dig up and eat the nutritious taproot. Its resilience and ecological value make it well-suited for restoration, naturalization, pollinator gardens, and erosion control projects.

Water Arum is a native perennial wetland plant known for its showy white oval sheaths (spathe) that surround a yellow-green, cylindrical flower spike (spadix). It has large, oblong, heart-shaped leaves on stems that rise above the water from shallow, spreading rhizomes. The blossoms are followed in late summer by tiny, pear-shaped fruits that ripen to bright red, adding ornamental interest to wet habitats.

Water Arum provides food for birds and small mammals that eat its berries, and its flowers attract pollinators. It can tolerate cold climates and forms colonies in shallow water and saturated soils. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, riparian planting, naturalisation, and habitat projects in wet and shaded environments.

Yellow Hedysarum Quick Facts

Water Arum Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 1b
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: ascending to upright
Growth form: colony-forming
Spreading: seeds - low
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low


Toxicity: toxic if ingested
Flowers: creamy yellow, in dense spikes
Flowers: white sheath around and yellow spike
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Bloom time: spring to summer
Berries: red, in clusters
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: sulphur hedysarum, sulphur sweet-vetch, yellow sweet-vetch
Other Names: bog arum, swamp lily, wild calla, wild dragon