Skunk Cabbage

Species:  Foetidus

Common Names:  Clumpfoot cabbage and polecat weeds.

Habitat:  Wet ground near springs, sun or shaded, open swamps and Marshes, stream banks, and wet woods.

Growing Season:  February - May

Plant size:  1-3 feet (30-90 cm) spathe 3-6 leaves 1-2 long. The flowers of this plant are quite small and inconspicuous. They are borne on a knob like spadix, which is hidden within a mottled green and dark purple hood like spathe. The leaves appear in late spring and look like cabbage leaves.

Folklore:  These are some tales that people say about skunk cabbage: The "Hermit of the bog" Is unfortunately best known for it's particular offensive smell. This smell accounts for it's  common name and also for the species name, Foetidus,  which means "Evil Smelling." The genus name is from Greek words, symploke and karpos which means "Connected fruit."  This refers to fruiting stalk, which  is the result of the ovaries growing together.  The saving grace of the skunk cabbage is that it blooms so early in the spring, seeming to defy winter and cold and death as the new shoots shove the old withered leaves out of the way.