Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Alismatales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (6/30/18):
Symplocarpus foetidus
FAMILY
Araceae
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Symplocarpus from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symplocarpus foetidus
FAMILY
Araceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 032-03-001:
Symplocarpus foetidus
FAMILY
Araceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spathyema foetida
COMMON NAME:
Skunk Cabbage
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_s_foetidus_5
March
The brownish-purple, fleshy, hoodlike spathe is usually striped or spotted, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont.
)
Tim Spira tpssfoetidus3
March
The spathe encloses a ball-like spadix with numerous tiny flowers, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont.
)
JK Marlow jkm060521_077
May Macon County NC
Highlands Biological Station
Found in seepage-fed bogs & nonalluvial swamps, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm060521_086
May Macon County NC
Highlands Biological Station
)
JK Marlow jkm160502_107
May Macon County NC
Highlands Biological Station
)
JK Marlow jkm160502_108
May Macon County NC
Highlands Biological Station
Leaves net-veined and cordate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
)
Tim Spira tpssfoetidus3_2
May
)
JK Marlow jkm0507g_07
July Pocahontas County WV
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (6/30/18):
Symplocarpus foetidus
FAMILY
Araceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symplocarpus foetidus
FAMILY
Araceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 032-03-001:
Symplocarpus foetidus
FAMILY
Araceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spathyema foetida
1479
Forb
Perennial
Native to North Carolina
Documented growing wild in - NC -
Uncommon in NC Mountains, rare elsewhere in NC
Look for it in seepage-fed bogs & nonalluvial swamps, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a more detailed map from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium,
or click here to see a map from SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
...Wet
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal
FLOWER:
Winter/Spring
Spathe usually brownish-purple and striped or spotted
4 perianth segments
Inflorescence a spadix
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide p016
- Southern Appalachian Wildflowers p077
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast p480
- Wild Flowers of NC, 1st edition p010
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition p009
- Wildflowers of Tennessee p340
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians p392
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont p448
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains p003