Symplocarpus
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| Exposure: | ☼ | ?"?" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property. |
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| Water: | ◍ | ?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property. |
Read about Symplocarpus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Symplocarpus (Greek, referring to the aggregate fruit). Araceae. Spathyema is the older name, but the other is retained by the "nomina conservanda list of the Vienna rules. Skunk Cabbage. A hardy swamp-loving perennial herb which pushes up its hooded spathes in very early spring or even before the first of January in favored situations. Spadix globose or oblong, entirely covered by fls., the ovaries of which are embedded in the spadix; perianth of 4 hooded sepals; anthers 2-celled: style pyramidal, 4-sided; ovary 1-loculed, with a solitary, suspended, anatropous ovule: berries in large heads, 1-seeded.— Only one species. See Krause, in Engler's Pflanzenreich, hft. 37 (IV. 23 B), 1910. The spathes are 3 to 6 inches high, usually grow in clumps, and the variation in their coloring is a never-failing delight. They are mottled with purplish brown and greenish yellow, the former color sometimes becoming bright red, the latter ranging from dark green to bright yellow. These spathes are produced several weeks before the leaves appear, and they inclose odd flowers which are described below in detail. Just when the skunk cabbage flowers is a matter of some debate; the stamens are generally out in February or March. The hoods retain their beauty for months. In April or May they decay and the strong-growing leaves soon attain a height of 1 to 3 feet and a breadth of 1 foot or more. All parts of the plant give a strong skunk-like odor, but only when bruised. Skunk cabbage is offered by dealers in hardy plants, as also by collectors. Its hardiness and bravery have been celebrated by outdoor writers from Thoreau to the present day. The question of its pollination has been much discussed. It was long supposed to be pollinated by the action of the carrion flies which are attracted by its odor. However, Trelease has shown that the bees are busy with the pollen while the plant is in flower and that the carrion flies mostly come later. CH
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Symplocarpus. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Symplocarpus QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)