A few weeks ago, during a cruise hosted by the Headwaters Canoe Club, we discovered a patch of skunk cabbage (Simplocarpus foetidus) in Clearwater County. It was growing in a seep. Yesterday, I returned to the patch with Becky Marty, DNR regional plant ecologist. We tried to document the other species on this site.
This discovery turned out to be rather interesting, as the nearest previously-documented skunk cabbage had been in Aitkin and Crow Wing Counties, 80 or 100 miles away. The plant, itself, is interesting because it has an unusual appearance, and because it has unique chemistry. A search on the Internet will turn up abstracts like: "Nonlinear dynamics of homeothermic temperature control in skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus." The abstract mentions that a blooming skunk cabbage can maintain an internal temperature of 20 degrees Celcius when the ambient air temperature dips below freezing. Somehow, it generates heat through respiration. That ability permits it to bloom very early in the spring.
It gets its name from its smell. The smell attracts insects that feed on carrion, effecting pollination. The hood concentrates the smell. It is edible, but it contains calcium oxalate crystals. This chemical will burn your mouth unless the plant is completely dried (No form of cooking eliminates it, only drying.) Personally, I can't imagine why someone would spend much time or effort trying to eat this plant.
While listing species, we found a tiny white flower on a slender stalk. It appeared to be associated with a ball of foliage on a petiole, wrapped up like a clenched fist. Becky coaxed a leaf open and it appeared to be split into three leaflets. I suggested that we take a speciman back to the office for identification. When she pulled it up, a couple inches of gold rhysome came with it. Goldthread! Sure enough, there were older evergreen goldthread leaves nearby, but we had never encountered it when it was blooming and didn't realize how tiny it is at that stage of its life.
We listed the following species within the immediate vacinity of the skunk cabbage:
Overstory trees:
tamarack (Larix laricina)
paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
willow (Salix spp.)
black spruce (Picea mariana)
Understory trees and shrubs:
raspberry (Rubus spp.)
balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
tag alder (Alnus incana)
Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)
chokecherry (Prunus virginianum)
fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)
red currant (Ribes triste)
Forbs, ferns and fern allies:
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
strawberry (Fragaria americana)
marsh marigold (Caltha palustra)
naked bishop's cap (Mitella nuda)
rough bedstraw (Galium asprellum)
ground pine (Lycopodium dendroideum)
oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense)
goldthread (Coptis groenlandica)
trillium (Trillium spp.)
sweet-scented bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
pyrola (Pyrola spp.)
aster (Aster spp.)
Mosses & lichens:
undifferentiated sphagnum and feather mosses
This discovery turned out to be rather interesting, as the nearest previously-documented skunk cabbage had been in Aitkin and Crow Wing Counties, 80 or 100 miles away. The plant, itself, is interesting because it has an unusual appearance, and because it has unique chemistry. A search on the Internet will turn up abstracts like: "Nonlinear dynamics of homeothermic temperature control in skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus." The abstract mentions that a blooming skunk cabbage can maintain an internal temperature of 20 degrees Celcius when the ambient air temperature dips below freezing. Somehow, it generates heat through respiration. That ability permits it to bloom very early in the spring.
It gets its name from its smell. The smell attracts insects that feed on carrion, effecting pollination. The hood concentrates the smell. It is edible, but it contains calcium oxalate crystals. This chemical will burn your mouth unless the plant is completely dried (No form of cooking eliminates it, only drying.) Personally, I can't imagine why someone would spend much time or effort trying to eat this plant.
While listing species, we found a tiny white flower on a slender stalk. It appeared to be associated with a ball of foliage on a petiole, wrapped up like a clenched fist. Becky coaxed a leaf open and it appeared to be split into three leaflets. I suggested that we take a speciman back to the office for identification. When she pulled it up, a couple inches of gold rhysome came with it. Goldthread! Sure enough, there were older evergreen goldthread leaves nearby, but we had never encountered it when it was blooming and didn't realize how tiny it is at that stage of its life.
We listed the following species within the immediate vacinity of the skunk cabbage:
Overstory trees:
tamarack (Larix laricina)
paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
willow (Salix spp.)
black spruce (Picea mariana)
Understory trees and shrubs:
raspberry (Rubus spp.)
balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
tag alder (Alnus incana)
Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)
chokecherry (Prunus virginianum)
fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)
red currant (Ribes triste)
Forbs, ferns and fern allies:
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
strawberry (Fragaria americana)
marsh marigold (Caltha palustra)
naked bishop's cap (Mitella nuda)
rough bedstraw (Galium asprellum)
ground pine (Lycopodium dendroideum)
oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense)
goldthread (Coptis groenlandica)
trillium (Trillium spp.)
sweet-scented bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
pyrola (Pyrola spp.)
aster (Aster spp.)
Mosses & lichens:
undifferentiated sphagnum and feather mosses
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