Symplocarpus foetidus
(Skunk Cabbage)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

               Seedling

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: Skunk Cabbage, Swamp Cabbage, Clumpfoot Cabbage, Meadow Cabbage, Foetid Pothos, Polecat Weed
    Synonyms: Spathyema foetida
    Lifespan: Perennial
    Zones: 4 - 7
    Type: Forb
    Bloom Time: December - April
    Status: Native
    Range:

Symplocarpus foetidus, or Skunk Cabbage, is native to the northeastern quarter of the US. It is a perennial that grows in wet areas, like swamps, marshes, bogs and floodplain forests. It is one of the first flowers to bloom, in some areas showing up in winter, with its brown flowers burning right through the snow; huge leaves emerge later on, after flowering has nearly finished, and the flower is no where to be found by late spring to early summer.

This plant is not like any other and will not easily be confused, due to its giant leaves in summer, and its brown, very early flower in winter/early spring. Nothing else appears similar, especially not in the habitat it grows - wet woods and swamps.

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