What's so great about skunk cabbage?
It is a foul smelling plant that grows in swamps and is among the first plants to emerge in late winter. It has what only a botanist would consider as flowers. Skunk Cabbage It does not make them any more endearing to know that its odor is intended to attract flies as pollinators. It is surely a plant that only a naturalist could love. It does have an extraordinary property that it shares with a small number of other plants. Do you know what it is?
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11 Answers
Is it carnivorous? It sure has a stink.
It makes for a perfect gift for my MIL.
Bears eat that? No wonder they smell.
In the cycle of life, it serves its purpose, and it sneakily grows downward.
“Though unpleasant, the smell is not harmful. The foul odor attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies, stoneflies, and bees. The odor in the leaves may also serve to discourage large animals from disturbing or damaging this plant which grows in soft wetland soils.” Source
What about poison ivy, ragweed, stinging nettles, Venus flytraps, etc?
If it’s odor is a defense, that would give it a property to share with a small number of other plants.
I cheated. It grows downward plus it produces heat. Learned something new today, good question.
@Adirondackwannabe: Are you sure you didn’t peek at my answer? ^^
(I love the Adirondacks and had a 10 bedroom camp on L. Placid (with no road) for years.)
@gailcalled No. I cheated quite awhile ago and looked up the answer. I know exactly which side of the lake you were on. Which camp? The Charcoal Pit is gone. Sob
Yes, skunk cabbage generates heat. It can produce temperatures up to about 60 or 70 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature is below freezing. It does it pretty much the way we do, through respiration. All plants respire (take in oxygen) when there is no sunlight for photosynthesis. For the first few weeks after it emerges, skunk cabbage does respiration during the day as well, at about the rate of a small mammal. This allows it to function when it is still cold. The heat will also melt snow.
I did not know about growing downward. I will have to check into that.
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