Cranberry Glades Stop 6

Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) comes by the name honestly because when crushed, the leaves have a strong skunk odor. Skunk cabbage can thrive in the saturated soil of the bog forest or shrub zone. When the flowers appear in spring they emit a skunk odor which is said to attract pollinating flies and stoneflies. A western species of skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) is common in the temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest.