Eastern Skunk Cabbage

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Symplocarpus foetidus, Linn. (Spathyema foetida, Nutt.). Skunk Cabbage. Fig. 3754. Lvs. numerous, 1-3 ft. long, 1 ft. wide, ovate, strongly nerved: spathe preceding the lvs., colored as described above: fr. ripe Aug., Sept. Nova Scotia to Minn., south to Fla. and Iowa; also in Asia. B.M. 836 (as Pothos foetida); 3224. V. 23:186. A.G. 14:367. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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Skunk Cabbage heralding spring
Plant Info
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Scientific classification
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Binomial name
Symplocarpus foetidus Salisb.
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Eastern Skunk Cabbage, Clumpfoot Cabbage, Meadow Cabbage, Skunk Cabbage, or Swamp Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), commonly known as simply Skunk Cabbage, is a low growing, foul smelling plant that prefers wetlands. It can be found naturally in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia and southern Quebec west to Minnesota, and south to North Carolina and Tennessee, and also in northeastern Asia, in eastern Siberia, northeastern China and Japan. It is the only species in the genus, although the genus Lysichiton is similar. Skunk cabbage is protected as a state endangered plant in Tennessee.

Description

The leaves are large, 40-55 cm long and 30-40 cm broad. It flowers early in the year; the flowers are produced in a 5-10 cm long spadix contained within a spathe, 10-15 cm tall and mottled purple in colour. It flowers in the early spring, when only the flowers are visible above the mud, with the stems buried below and the leaves emerging later. The rhizome is thick often 30 cm thick.

Ecology

Its name is derived from its odor, which is rather mild as long as the plant remains intact. To fully appreciate why the plant is so named, one need only tear off a fresh leaf, releasing a pungent odor. While not considered edible, the plant is not poisonous to the touch. Though unpleasant, the smell is also not harmful. The foul odor attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies and beetles. The odor in the leaves may also serve to discourage large animals from disturbing or damaging this plant which grows in soft wetland soils.

Skunk cabbage is notable for its ability to produce heat of up to 15-35° C above air temperature by cyanide resistant cellular respiration in order to melt its way through frozen ground, placing it among a small group of plants exhibiting thermogenesis. Although flowering whilst there is still snow and ice on the ground it is successfully pollinated by early insects that also emerge at this time. Some studies suggest that beyond allowing the plant to grow in icy soil, the heat it produces may help to spread its odor in the air. Carrion-feeding insects that are attracted by the scent may be doubly encouraged to enter the spathe because it is warmer than the surrounding air, fueling pollination.

Eastern Skunk Cabbage has contractile roots which contract after growing into the earth. This pulls the stem of the plant deeper into the mud, so that the plant in effect grows downward, not upward. Each year, the plant grows deeper into the earth, so that older plants are practically impossible to dig up. It is thought possible that it may be able to live for hundreds of years. They reproduce by hard, pea-sized seeds which fall in the mud and are carried away by animals or by floods.

Symplocarpus foetidus leafs out later in the summer

Uses

In the 19th century the U. S. Pharmacopoeia listed eastern skunk cabbage as the drug "dracontium". It was used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, nervous disorders, rheumatism, and dropsy. In North America and Europe, skunk cabbage is occasionally cultivated in water gardens. Skunk cabbage was used extensively as a medicinal plant, seasoning, and magical talisman by various tribes of Native Americans.

See also

• Western Skunk Cabbage

External links

• Germplasm Resources Information
• Flora of North America: Symplocarpus foetidus
• Plants For A Future: Symplocarpus foetidus
• NRCS: USDA Plants Profile: Symplocarpus foetidus