Symplocarpus foetidus- Beautiful Seed

[Kristl Walek]

Hello,
I am posting here this time as I think interesting seed and seed receptacles should be included under this heading.

You undoubtably know the eastern Skunk Cabbage.

It's a fascinating plant, that will grow in the moist, shady garden even though only found in wet places in the wild.

Hip waders are usually not necessary when collecting the seed pods in late fall.

The pods are large and filled with soft pulp enclosing the seeds, which are like bumpy marbles, and more like corms than traditional seed.

Kristl

[Anthony Darby]

Not one I've tried or even seen Kristl. Wierd and wonderful - so many species - so little space.

[jomowi]

This plant grows up the eastern side of the US in shallow swamps from Virginia north into Canada, flowering before the winter has really gone.  It melts its way through thin ice and is to be found surrounded by a clear ring of water.  To provide the heat it will burn off about 6g of starch in as many days.  The plant is an aroid and like many related plants including the British native "Cuckoo Pint"(Arum maculatum) has an interesting respiration mechanism in the spadix which has evolved to attract flies as to pollenate it.  As the name suggests it smells rather like skunks.  It is hardy inScotland, there has been a large plant at the RGBE for many years close to the big green house at the alpine house end.

Brian Wilson
Aberdeen

[Kristl Walek]

Thank you, Brian, for adding the additional information...long articles have been written about this species......

I would also like to say that the first time I found myself in a large wild population of this, I had to wonder where the "skunk cabbage" reputation came from---I was with a friend, and we both had to work hard to catch the slightest whiff...and only facing the right way in the wind. I even crushed some of the foliage, thinking that perhaps that was necessary to smell the skunkiness- but again, I had to sniff and sniff before I could admit that there was some "faint something"...

Made me wonder whether the strong smell I have heard tales of is most evident at certain times of the year...I have primarily "spent time with them" in the spring, as they emerge, and then again in very late fall to collect the seed.

I grow a few in various areas of the garden here---some in the moist woodland, a couple in a "quasi bog" I built. I can't tell the difference in their happiness levels.

This year I discovered what must be the "mother lode" for this species in my area---a stretch of wet woods right next to a road and extending into the woods as far as the eye could see. Because I really wanted to know how large the "find" was, I drove along the road and took a km reading---1.4km long, and probably as deep (or deeper). I walked as far as I could into the woods to discover the end of the colony, but never reached it after 20 minutes of hiking. I was there for the "spathe emergence"---and the variety of spathe colours were astounding---I really must find my pictures. Interestingly there were high proportions of near-albinos among the mostly deep, deep purple spathes.

Kristl

[Paddy Tobin]

Kristi,

I've admired this plant for years and have finally some growing thanks to the generosity of one of the forum members. It's a most interesting plant.

Paddy

[Anthony Darby]

Would be a wonderful addition to our new 'eco-quad' in the school? Warm blooded plants. Cool or wot?!

[Paul T]

Fascinating plant.  I grow some of the other "skunk cabbage" (i.e Lysichiton americanum and L. camschatcensis, although have never flowered either) but have never found the Symplocarpus.  Very cool flowers and seedpods.  I would be very interested to see pics of the different colour forms.  Have you marked different plants to collect seed from different colour forms?  Your mother lode sounds absolutely fascinating, if somewhat smelly in the right conditions  )

Great pics and information everyone.

[Paddy Tobin]

Anthony,

I'll keep a close watch next spring and if I have two growing well I'll send on one to you.

Paddy

[Kristl Walek]

Another note on digging/moving *mature* plants of this species...

Be ready to sacrifice your best quality spade and/or what is remaining of your back...
You will not believe how deep the roots go. And if you have machinery (a back hoe) I would suggest this as a first course of action 

Last year I sent a few plants to Janis Ruksans (so he could compare them to his S. camtschatka form, argument being that there is only one species---S. foetidus, and he wanted them side by side to compare)...this by the way, has now been settled in his own mind. His form and the eastern form (mine) as VERY different plants (and most surely different species, not varieties of S. foetidus).

Well, I can't even begin to tell you what effort it took to send him those 3 mature specimens...3-5 feet deep of digging and even then I had to cut many of the roots to be able to send the plants in less than a three foot box. They did survive the mutilation, came up well in his garden this spring, even flowered AND produced seed for him.

Kristl

[Staale]

Beautiful plants again, Kristl. Is the pulp around the seed as slimey and bothersome as it looks from the picture? 
I have five small plants in the garden, ordered from Ruksans. They should be the camtschatca form, then. I have not yet found a final place in the garden for two of them. From your comment I gather I should not let them wait in the kinder garten too long...

[Kristl Walek]

Staale,
Not a difficult species to clean (relatively speaking)---the pulp is more "meaty" than slimey and the seed is so large that a big sieve, detergent, running water and a large sink get them finished in much less time than many other "fruited" seed. Compared to truly slimey, and glue-like fruit surrounding seed (the soft-fruited species of Opuntia, for instance) this is no labour at all.

Staale--I seem to recall my first year seedlings had 15-30cm roots at least- I wouldn't leave them for more than a few years, although I think it takes some time for them to reach the size of the ones I dug for him (these were mature, multi-spathe, enormous plants). At this point they have a very tough and thick root system.

Here is what it said it one internet source:

"it has contractile roots which contract after growing into the earth. This pulls the stem of the plant deeper into the mud, so that the plant in effect grows downward, not upward. Each year, the plant grows deeper into the earth, so that older plants are practically impossible to dig up. It is thought possible that it may be able to live for hundreds of years."

As mentioned above, the plant, with maturity will produce more than one spathe--I have certainly regularly seen 3-5 spathes on very old plants.

Kristl

[Michael]

Incredible! It probably smells like the titan arum of sumatra... I have heard this one also "steams"...

Paul, the Lysichiton plants smell bad when in flower?

[Paul T]

Yep, te Lysichitons are supposed to (I've never flowered mine so I don't know).  I have enough other stinky plants already that they'll have some competition to be worse than the others I have!!    I do so love the Araceae family.    Symplocarpus is now of course on the list to find..... very very cool!! 

[Stephenb]

It's also hardy here in Norway near Trondheim. One of the highlights of spring and definitely the wierdest spring plant. This picture was taken on 12th May. I think my plant was sourced from the US originally..

It is about 10-years old. Anyone know if Symplocarpus is dioecious? My plant has never produced seed. If it is, can anyone help my lonely skunk cabbage? I have a large trade list at http://members.gardenweb.com/members/exch/stevil

I've also read that Symplocarpus is thermogenic, which means "heat generating" and the flowers can reach over 40C even though the air temperature is considerably lower....

[Paul T]

They are SUCH cool looking flowers.