Skunky Flowers

• Skunk weed has flowers that bear a resemblance to its Araceae family relatives like calla lily, arum and Jack-in-the-pulpit. The "flower" is composed of two parts. A modified leaf or spathe curls around the smaller true flower. The curled spathe, which may resemble a snail shell, is mottled purple-brown or maroon, and the spadix or flower spike is greenish yellow. The flowers are pollinated by insects, especially flies, which are drawn to the carrion-like odor of the flowers. Crushed leaves of the plant have a similar putrid smell.
  
  

Early Emergence

• The skunk cabbage flowers are able to emerge so early because they create the warmth needed to pierce through the partially frozen ground. The plants use oxygen to process nutrients (starches) provided by the root system, and produce warmth as a byproduct of the process. The heat-producing flowers bloom and begin exuding their unique scent, attracting pollinators.
  
  

Characteristics

• Skunk cabbage is a spring ephemeral, meaning that all traces of the plant vanish by summer. Leaves, spathes and flowers are all spongy and water-filled, with no woody fibers. Generally by late spring, the plant parts begin to decompose, growing ragged and then slimy before disappearing. This decay usually occurs in tandem with the drying out of portions of the wetlands where the plants proliferate. By August, no trace of the skunk cabbage remains, even in areas that are home to hundreds of them in March.
  
  

Considerations

• Unlike some of its relatives, skunk cabbage is not usually grown as a garden plant--largely because of its size, ephemeral nature and, especially, its odor. Though animals like wild turkeys and bears may nibble at the tender plant parts, the juices produce inflammatory reactions in humans' mouths and throats. As with most wild plants, skunk cabbage should be seen but not touched or consumed.