2/2/24 Species of the Week- Skunk Cabbage

Skunk Cabbage, or Symplocarpus foetidus, is native to eastern North America. It can be found in wetland habitats, and is fairly abundant in Massachusetts. At Brandeis, Skunk Cabbage can be found in the Chapels wetlands and Sachar Woods. It can be identified by the skunky, foul odor that it emits when crushed or bruised.

Skunk Cabbage is a perennial plant, and starts blooming as early as February. It is able to do so because it has thermogenic properties that allow it to produce heat during respiration, which melts nearby snow and keeps the plant from freezing. The flowers emerge in a spathe (which looks like a pointy hood), and are purple or greenish in color.

The plants are pollinated by blowflies and other carrion-feeding insects that emerge early on in the season. The skunky odor that these plants produce helps attract these pollinators.

After pollination, the flowers grow into berry-like fruits, and are dispersed by animals and water. In the early spring, the Skunk Cabbages produce leaves that are up to 1 foot long, and by mid summer, the leaves die off, and the plant is left dormant. The root system contracts, and the plant is pulled into the ground until the next spring.

Skunk Cabbage is toxic to most animals, so it doesn’t experience much herbivory. However, preparing the roots and leaves by boiling them can eliminate the toxicity, and many different Native American tribes have used parts of the plant for medicinal purposes.

Posted on February 2, 2024 04:35 AM by cmastronarde