15 April 2017
Skunk Cabbage
Symplocarpus foetidus
Walden-Parke Preserve
photo by Anne Donovan-Fortier

This pair of blooms is approximately 6 inches tall. Look for them in wet areas during early spring. The red shell (spathe) eventually opens to reveal the stamens and pistils inside which reside on a rounded spadix. Later, the broad leaves (pictured below) unfurl. They have a bad odor when crushed.

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