Submitted by Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society
Skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus
As the winter solstice approaches, I am already anticipating the blooms of our earliest spring wildflower, skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus. The buds of this winter-blooming wildflower begin to appear in our region as early as December and the flowers often start to bloom by New Year’s Day.
As one might imagine for a wildflower that manages to bloom and attract pollinators in the dead of winter, this plant has developed some remarkably interesting adaptations to the cold and even snow cover.
Like jack-in-the-pulpit, skunk cabbage is a member of the Arum family with an unusual flower structure of tiny flowers borne on a…There's more to this story...
Are you a subscriber? Log in
Many more news articles, photos and ads are available only to those
who subscribe to our printed newspaper or our online e-Edition.Pick up a copy or Subscribe today!