Question
Hi Tom,
    This is a strange question but I have always loved cali lillies and recently I bought a simple bouquet of three gorgeous  extremely long stem lillies. They were beautiful. Eventually the white outer part becomes very dry almost like very thin paper so I was going to throw them out when I noticed a cotton substance in the flower, when I removed it there was a red bud like thing under the cotton. I cut the stems down bit and refreshed the water in the vase and they are just hanging out now. The red thing seems to be getting longer but where did this cotton come from? Is this a natural process or was it there the whole time and I missed it? (I don't know how I could miss it). If you know the answer please get back to me.
Thanks,
Angela
PS I bought a potted cali lilly and I inspect it weekly to see what changes go on.

Answer
Hi Angela,
Thanx for your question.  The white outer structure you speak of is the calyx of the calla lily.  The other structures you speak of sound like what would have been the seed pod before it was able to form had it been pollinated.  A cut plant can continue to live for various lengths of time, depending upon the type of plant and the quality of water and nutrients in the water.  I'm not sure how true this is but I have heard that some flowers will continue to develop while in a vase of water.  My knowledge of botany is limited as I'm just a hobby horticulturalist.  You might want to pose this question to a botanist.  I'm sure s/he can give you a better answer.  When you first come on to the Allexperts site, click on Science then Biology and then Biology again.  Dana Krempels, Phd, is one of our Biology experts who also answers questions regarding Botany.  You may want to consult with this expert.  I hope this helps.
Tom