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Project Noah Nature School
Symplocarpos foetidus
Eastern skunk cabbage has leaves which are large, 15.75-21.5 in long and 12-15.75 in broad. It flowers early in the spring when only the flowers are visible above the mud. The stems remain buried below the surface of the soil with the leaves emerging later. The flowers are produced on a 2-5 in long spadix contained within a spathe, 4-6 in tall and mottled purple in colour. The rhizome is often 1 ft thick. Breaking or tearing a leaf produces a pungent but not harmful odor, the source of the plant's common name. The plant is not poisonous to the touch. The foul odor attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies, stoneflies, and bees. The odor in the leaves may also serve to discourage large animals from disturbing or damaging this plant which grows in soft wetland soils. Eastern skunk cabbage is notable for its ability to generate temperatures of up to 15-35°C (59-95°F) 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. Even though it flowers while there is still snow and ice on the ground it is successfully pollinated by early insects that also emerge at this time. They reproduce by hard, pea-sized seeds which fall in the mud and are carried away by animals or by floods.
Woods near muddy stream
It doesn't necessarily need standing water to survive - more that it just tends to outcompete other plants in seasonally inundated areas. I would just plant it, pot and all, in the fall; then cover with leaves. It's pretty hard to kill :)
Thank You, it did look similar to plantain but after reading more and better photos you are right skunk cabbage. I have a piece in a pot now I need to figure out how to keep it alive in winter outside since it wont be near standing water.
I've narrowed it down to American Water Plantain or Heart-leaf Plantain, the heart leaf is a threatened species in the area so would like to know if this is it!
you mean Elephant Ear? nah, the lines are different and these werent planted and elephant ear would die from the harsh winters here so cant be that, but does look similar.
Spotted on Jul 5, 2013
Submitted on Jul 5, 2013
