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Symplocarpus foetidus
Also called Clumpfoot Cabbage, Eastern Skunk Cabbage, Foetid Pothos, Meadow Cabbage, Polecat Weed or Swamp Cabbage, Polecatweed
Skunk cabbage is a low perennial of wet ground and stream banks in eastern North America, grown in bog and wildlife gardens. It needs constant moisture and cool, damp soil, and it flowers in early spring.
Symplocarpus foetidus, commonly known as skunk cabbage or eastern skunk cabbage (also swamp cabbage, clumpfoot cabbage, or meadow cabbage, foetid pothos or polecat weed), is a low-growing plant that grows in wetlands and moist hill slopes of eastern North America. Bruised leaves present an odor reminiscent of skunk.
Symplocarpus combines the Greek word symploce, meaning "connection" and carpos, meaning "fruit", to indicate that the plant has a compound fruit.
Since its roots are antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant, and slightly narcotic, it is not recommended to consume the raw plant directly. While high quantities of the root can produce nausea and vomiting, headaches, and dizziness, handling the fresh leaves can burn skin. Other symptoms of poisoning include swelling of the lip, throat, and tongue. This is due to calcium oxalate crystals, which are moderately harmful to humans. It is possible to eliminate the toxicity with care, such as changing the water frequently when boiling the leaves, or thoroughly drying the plant.
The native region of the eastern skunk cabbage is eastern North America. Its geographic range includes eastern Canada, the northeastern United States, and the states of Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeast and Minnesota in the west. In Canada, the plant's distribution ranges from western Nova Scotia to southeastern Manitoba. In Tennessee, it is protected as an endangered species. Its habitats include moist regions including marshes, wet forests, and stream banks. Like others in the arum family, the eastern skunk cabbage grows best in areas with great moisture.
The skunk cabbage has been used in traditional medicine. Numerous Native American cultures employed the eastern skunk cabbage substantially as a medicinal herb, spice, and mystical talisman. The plant was used as an antispasmodic and expectorant. In particular, the Winnebago and Dakota tribes utilized it to encourage phlegm evacuation in asthma patients. Different cultures also utilized it as a talisman and seasoning. It was employed as the medicine "dracontium" in pharmaceutical goods from 1820 until 1882 for respiratory conditions, neurological disorders, rheumatism, and dropsy.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Symplocarpus foetidus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
