View source for Eastern Skunk Cabbage

{{Inc|
Symplocarpus foetidus, Linn. (Spathyema foetida, Nutt.). Skunk Cabbage. Fig. 3754. Lvs. numerous, 1-3 ft. long, 1 ft. wide, ovate, strongly nerved: spathe preceding the lvs., colored as described above: fr. ripe Aug., Sept. Nova Scotia to Minn., south to Fla. and Iowa; also in Asia. B.M. 836 (as Pothos foetida); 3224. V. 23:186. A.G. 14:367. 
}}

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Eastern Skunk Cabbage
| image = SKUNKCABBAGE-MOSS-400X575.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Skunk Cabbage heralding spring
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Liliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Alismatales]]
| familia = [[Araceae]]
| genus = '''''Symplocarpus'''''
| species = '''''S. foetidus'''''
| binomial = ''Symplocarpus foetidus''
| binomial_authority = Salisb.
}}

'''Eastern Skunk Cabbage''', '''Clumpfoot Cabbage''', '''Meadow Cabbage''', '''Skunk Cabbage''', or '''Swamp Cabbage''' ''(Symplocarpus foetidus)'', commonly known as simply ''Skunk Cabbage'', is a low growing, foul smelling plant that prefers [[wetland]]s. It can be found naturally in eastern [[North America]], from [[Nova Scotia]] and southern [[Quebec]] west to [[Minnesota]], and south to [[North Carolina]] and [[Tennessee]], and also in northeastern [[Asia]], in eastern [[Siberia]], northeastern [[China]] and [[Japan]]. It is the only species in the genus, although the genus ''[[Lysichiton]]'' is similar. Skunk cabbage is protected as a state [[endangered]] plant in Tennessee.<ref>[http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=Symplocarpus+foetidus&mode=sciname&submit.x=0&submit.y=0 USDA PLANTS Database: S. foetidus]</ref> 

== Description ==
The [[leaf|leaves]] are large, 40-55 cm long and 30-40 cm broad. It [[flower]]s early in the year; the [[flower]]s are produced in a 5-10 cm long [[spadix]] contained within a [[spathe]], 10-15 cm tall and mottled purple in colour. It flowers in the early spring, when only the flowers are visible above the mud, with the stems buried below and the leaves emerging later. The rhizome is thick often 30 cm thick.

== Ecology ==
Its name is derived from its odor, which is rather mild as long as the plant remains intact.  To fully appreciate why the plant is so named, one need only tear off a fresh leaf, releasing a pungent odor. While not considered edible, the plant is not poisonous to the touch.  Though unpleasant, the smell is also not harmful. The foul odor attracts its [[pollinator]]s, scavenging [[fly|flies]] and [[beetle]]s. The odor in the leaves may also serve to discourage large animals from disturbing or damaging this plant which grows in soft wetland soils.

Skunk cabbage is notable for its ability to produce heat of up to 15-35° C above air temperature by cyanide resistant [[cellular respiration]] in order to melt its way through frozen ground,<ref>Thorington, Katherine K.: "Pollination and Fruiting Success in the Eastern Skunk Cabbage", The Journal of Biospheric Science , vol 1 no. 1 April 1999, accessed March 4, 2007, <http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/mmcmenam/journal.html</ref> placing it among a small group of [[thermogenic plants|plants exhibiting thermogenesis]]. Although flowering whilst there is still snow and ice on the ground it is successfully pollinated by early insects that also emerge at this time. Some studies suggest that beyond allowing the plant to grow in icy soil, the heat it produces may help to spread its odor in the air. Carrion-feeding insects that are attracted by the scent may be doubly encouraged to enter the spathe because it is warmer than the surrounding air, fueling [[pollination]].<ref>Marinelli, Janet: "Turning Up the Heat on Your Property", Backyard Habitat - National Wildlife Magazine, vol. 45 no. 1 Dec/Jan 2007, accessed March 3, 2007, <http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=112&articleID=1418</ref>

Eastern Skunk Cabbage has contractile [[root]]s which contract after growing into the earth. This pulls the stem of the plant deeper into the mud, so that the plant in effect grows downward, not upward. Each year, the plant grows deeper into the earth, so that older plants are practically impossible to dig up. It is thought possible that it may be able to live for hundreds of years. They reproduce by hard, pea-sized [[seed]]s which fall in the mud and are carried away by animals or by floods.

[[Image:Skunk Cabbage Leaves.jpg|left|thumb|''Symplocarpus foetidus'' leafs out later in the summer]]
== Uses ==
In the 19th century the U. S. [[Pharmacopoeia]] listed eastern skunk cabbage as the drug "dracontium". It was used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, nervous disorders, [[rheumatism]], and [[dropsy]]. In North America and Europe, skunk cabbage is occasionally cultivated in [[water garden]]s.<ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200027331 Flora of North America: S. foetidus]</ref> Skunk cabbage was used extensively as a [[medicinal plant]], seasoning, and magical [[talisman]] by various tribes of [[Native Americans of the United States|Native Americans]].<ref>[http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Symplocarpus+foetidus Dr. Moerman's Native American Ethnobotanical Database: S. foetidus]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Western Skunk Cabbage]]

==External links==
*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?400340 Germplasm Resources Information]
*[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200027331 Flora of North America: ''Symplocarpus foetidus'']
*[http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Symplocarpus+foetidus Plants For A Future: ''Symplocarpus foetidus'']
*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SYFO NRCS: USDA Plants Profile: ''Symplocarpus foetidus'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Araceae]]
[[Category:Flora of Eastern United States]]
[[Category:Flora of New Brunswick]]
[[Category:Flora of Quebec]]
[[Category:Flora of Minnesota|Cabbage, Eastern Skunk]]
[[Category:Flora of Connecticut]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]