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Symplocarpus foetidus
| Common name: |
Skunk Cabbage |
Family: |
Araceae |
| Author: |
(L.)Salisb. ex W.P.C.Barton. |
Botanical references: |
43, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Spathyema foetida ((L.)Raf.), Dracontium foetidum (L.) |
| Known Hazards: |
The plant is poisonous[19]. This report probably refers to the presence of calcium oxylate in all parts of the plant. This substance is toxic and if consumed makes the mouth and digestive tract feel as though hundreds of needles are being stuck into it. However, calcium oxylate is easily destroyed by thoroughly cooking or drying the plant[172]. |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Georgia. |
| Habitat: |
Marshes, bogs, swampy woods and by streams[43]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Dracontium foetidus[G]
Ictodes foetidus[H]
S. foetida[E,Sn3]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Draconte Fetide [E], Dragonzio [E], Drakenkruid [E], Eastern Skunk Cabbage [S], Skunk Cabbage [E,P,H], Skunk Cabbage, Eastern [S], Skunk-cabbage [H,B], Skunkcabbage [E], Zehrwurz [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
foetidus = unpleasantly scented;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Arales. Arum family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Britain; France; Germany; Italy; Netherlands; Us; Us(Amerindian); Us(Iroquois); Us(Menomini); Us(Meskwaki)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.5m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from February to April, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist or wet soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Bog Garden.Edible Uses
Leaves; Root.
Root - cooked[46, 55, 61, 106, 161]. The root must be thoroughly dried
or cooked before being eaten, see notes above on toxicity. Traditionally the
root was dried for at least 5 weeks or boiled for 3 days before being
eaten[159].
Young leaves - cooked[105, 106, 161]. A peppery flavour[159]. The water
should be changed at least once during the cooking process[55, 159]. The
leaves must be thoroughly cooked, see notes on toxicity above.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antispasmodic; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Emetic; Expectorant; Narcotic; Odontalgic.
Skunk cabbage was much used by the native North American Indians
primarily for its expectorant and antispasmodic properties to treat
bronchitis and asthmatic conditions, a use that is still employed in modern
herbalism[254]. The plant should be used with some caution, however, and
preferably under professional supervision. Handling the fresh leaves can
cause skin to blister whilst excessive doses of the root can bring on nausea
and vomiting, headaches and dizziness[238, 254].
The root is antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and
slightly narcotic[4, 21, 46, 165, 222, 238]. The rootstock is harvested in
late autumn or early spring and dried for later use[238]. It should not be
stored for a long time because it loses its medicinal virtues[213]. The
rootstock has been used internally in the treatment of respiratory and
nervous disorders, including asthma, whooping cough, catarrh, bronchitis and
hay fever[213, 238]. It is occasionally used to treat epilepsy, headaches,
vertigo and rheumatic problems[254]. Externally, it has been used as a
poultice to draw splinters and thorns, to heal wounds and to treat
headaches[254].
The root hairs or rootlets have been applied to dental cavities to treat
toothache[213]. A tea made from the root hairs has been used externally to
stop bleeding[213].
An inhalation of the crushed leaves has been used in the treatment of
headaches[238].
The leaf bases have been applied as a wet dressing to bruises[213]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Cosmetic.
An infusion of the powdered root has been used as a wash to 'cure a
strong smell under your arm'[257].
Cultivation details
Succeeds in sun or shade in a deep moist to wet lime-free soil that is
rich in organic matter[200]. Grows well in a bog garden or along the wet
banks of streams and ponds[1, 238].
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -35°c[238].
All parts of the pant, but especially the flowers, have a strong unpleasant
aroma[4, 187] that is said to be a combination of skunk, carrion and
garlic[245]. The plant can raise the temperature of its inflorescence by 15 -
35°c above the ambient air temperature, thus protecting itself from frost and
helping to attract pollinating insects[200, 238].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[200]. The seed
should be stored in water if it is not sown immediately[238]. Stored seed can
be sown in late winter or early spring. Stand the pot in 2cm of water to keep
the compost wet. Germination should take place in the spring, prick out the
seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow
them on in wet soil in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first
winter. Plant them out in late spring once they are large enough.
Division with great care whilst the plant is dormant[200].
Scent
-
Flowers: Fresh
- All parts of the pant, but especially the flowers, have a strong unpleasant aroma that is said to be a combination of skunk, carrion and garlic[245].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Dracontium foetidum (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for Spathyema foetida (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for Symplocarpus foetida (a possible synonym).
References for symplocarpus foetidus (a possible synonym).
References for the family Araceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.
[159] McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
A nice pocket guide to this region of America.
[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
Main Search Page
Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Symplocarpus+foetidus
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