Skunk Cabbage Plant Profile

Skunk Cabbage Plant Profile

Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is a herbaceous perennial plant. It is also known as swamp cabbage, clumpfoot cabbage, meadow cabbage, foetid pothos, West Virginia Hosta, or polecat weed). It has huge leaves, that when bruised smell like – well – skunk or some say overcooked cabbage, mustard, or garlic.

The purplish flower, which is called a spathe, looks a lot like its smaller cousin -- the Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). It attract flies, gnats, and beetles for pollination. 

It is native to the eastern half of the United States and is hardy to USDA zones 4 to 7 . There is also Western Skunk Cabbage and an Asian cousin.

The plant emerges from the ground in late winter to early spring. Amazingly, it generates enough heat to melt the snow around it as it emerges.

Eastern Skunk Cabbage is typically found in very wet soil such as stream valleys, bogs, and marshes, and that is the best place to plant it in your garden. Note that it does go dormant around early summer if it is planted in drier soils, but in wetter locations, it persists into autumn.

It prefers to grow in part- to full-shade.

It can reach 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide during years of heavy rainfall. Once established, they are very difficult to transplant because the root system can be larger than the plant above ground.

Seed is the best way to propagate Skunk Cabbage, but you must sow the seeds immediately when ripe, as they are very ephemeral.

The foliage contains heavy amounts of oxalic acid so it is deer- and pest-resistant. According to the National Wildlife Federation, bears will eat the berry-like fruit. They also eat the roots after emerging from hibernation because the roots act as a laxative.

Skunk Cabbage: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video, Photos, and Editing by Aicha Bangoura

Additional Photos by Barry Glick and Miri Talabac

Video footage collected on the campus natural areas of the University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.

 

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https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/baptisia-plant-profile.html

 Spring Beauty Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/04/plant-profile-spring-beauty-claytonia.html

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