Symplocarpos Foetidus (Skunk Cabbage) Araceae

Skunk Cabbage: by Mary Oliver And now as the iron rinds over the ponds start dissolving, you come, dreaming of ferns and flowers and new leaves unfolding, upon the brash turnip-hearted skunk cabbage slinging its bunches leaves up through the chilling mud. You kneel beside it. The smell is lurid and flows out in the most unabashed way, attracting into itself a continual spattering of protein. Appalling its rough green caves, and the thought of the thick root nested below, stubborn and powerful as instinct! But these are the woods you love, where the secret name of every death is life again - a miracle wrought surely not of mere turning but of dense and scalding reenactment. Not tenderness, not longing, but daring and brawn pull down the frozen waterfall, the past. Ferns, leaves, flowers, the last subtle refinements, elegant and easeful, wait to rise and flourish. What blazes the trail is not necessarily pretty.

The Skunk Cabbage is rather easy to identify due to its large leaves, and unique Spaith and Spadix. The leaves look to grow straight out of the ground, are shinny, and smell like a Skunk if they are crushed. The Spaith and Spadix are a purple-brown color, and sits below the leaves.

This species tends to grow near areas where water is in abundance

Physical characteristics

Leaf: The Skunk Cabbage leaves are very large entire margined leaves with a plastic like appeal, and have a slight crinkle.

Flower | Seeds: The flower is a circular ball about 2 inches, after pollination a reddish brown ball of fruits is formed. Each fruit contains 1 seed.

Shape: The leaves tend to grow out of a central point, and spread out as they grow.

Root system: The root system is very large and reaches deep into the wet soil. There is no tap root, so the root structure is very spread out.

Life span: The Skunk cabbage can live up to 20 years, loosing its leaves annually.

Ecological characteristics

Due to the wide range of temperatures the Skunk Cabbage can live to the south as far as North Carolina; and almost as far north as the arctic circle. Although it doesn’t make it farther west than Iowa due to the small amount of rainfall, and flood planes.

Although the Skunk Cabbage has a rhizome root structure the only way the plant can germinate is through seeds.

Climate: The Skunk Cabbage can survive in most temperatures as long as there is an abundance of water. It has been said that the skunk Cabbage can live in temperatures near -40 degrees F, and its large leaves will break through ice if it hasn’t melted by blooming time.

Skunk Cabbage Distribution

Importance to the ecosystem

The Skunk Cabbage’s deep root system helps provide stability in very damp areas where most plants would be unable to survive. This helps with erosion and the permeability of the soil.

The very large leaves also provide good food for insects both while the plant is alive, and after the plant has begun to wither.

Lastly, since many native plants are unable to survive in the wet ecosystems the Skunk Cabbage takes up land that would otherwise be taken over by invasive weeds.

Relationship with other species

Non-human: Insets like caterpillars eat the leaves and may choose to lay eggs on the plant. Since the flower is on the ground it is easy to access for bugs that don’t have wings.

Humans: THE SKUNK CABBAGE IS POISONS TO HUMANS.

Other interesting facts

• The Skunk Cabbage rhizome root system is so complex it is nearly impossible to dig up, and the roots are so strong they pull the plant further underground each year.

• The spaith and spadex are formed in prior years and sits under the ground until the next spring comes.

• Although the Skunk Cabbage tends to grow in groups, and has such a complex root structure the only way for the plant to spread is through the seeds produced.

References

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/JPEG’S/Plant%20Web%20Images/SkunkCabbageYoungLabeled.jpg

http://nhgardensolutions.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/11-skunk-cabbage.jpg

http://www.natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic4/skunkcabbage.htm

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/mary_oliver/poems/15874

http://urbanecologycenter.org/blog/native-plant-eastern-skunk-cabbage.html

Page drafted by Eric Matiasek

Click here to go back to ES 203 Home Page.

Skunk Cabbage

( Symplocarpos foetidus)

Subjects of this Page:

1. Physical characteristics
2. Ecological characteristics
3. Importance to the ecosystem
4. Relationship with other species
5. Other interesting facts

ES 203: SPRING FLORA OF THE GREAT LAKES

You can highlight additional information here or add more related links.

• You can link to other LFC.com pages

• You can link to an outside url

• You can link to a files such as a pdf