skunk cabbage

1. A foul-smelling aroid plant (Symplocarpus foetidus) of eastern North American wetlands, having small flowers on a spadix enclosed in a greenish or purplish spathe and blooming early in the spring.

2. A similar aroid plant (Lysichiton americanus) of western North America, having a bright yellow, stalked spathe.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

skunk cabbage

1. (Plants) a low-growing fetid aroid swamp plant, Symplocarpus foetidus of E North America, having broad leaves and minute flowers enclosed in a mottled greenish or purple spathe

2. (Plants) a similar aroid plant, Lysichitum americanum, of the W coast of North America and N Asia

Turkish name (1392–1913): skunkweed

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

skunk′ cab`bage

1. a low, fetid, broad-leaved North American plant, Symplocarpus foetidus, of the arum family, having a brownish purple and green mottled spathe surrounding a stout spadix, growing in moist ground.

2. a related plant, Lysichiton americanum, of W North America, having a cluster of green leaves and a spike of flowers surrounded by a yellow spathe.

[1745–55, Amer.]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	skunk cabbage - deciduous perennial low-growing fetid swamp plant of eastern North America having minute flowers enclosed in a mottled greenish or purple cowl-shaped spathe foetid pothos, polecat weed, Symplocarpus foetidus genus Symplocarpus, Symplocarpus - one species: skunk cabbage bog plant, marsh plant, swamp plant - a semiaquatic plant that grows in soft wet land; most are monocots: sedge, sphagnum, grasses, cattails, etc; possibly heath
	2.	skunk cabbage - clump-forming deciduous perennial swamp plant of western North America similar to Symplocarpus foetidus but having a yellow spathe Lysichiton americanum bog plant, marsh plant, swamp plant - a semiaquatic plant that grows in soft wet land; most are monocots: sedge, sphagnum, grasses, cattails, etc; possibly heath

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References in classic literature

I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage. I suppose my father could have been a good man even if he had been called Jedediah; but I'm sure it would have been a cross.

View in context

Skunk cabbage, as the name implies, is a smelly plant that grows in wet woods.

Giving off good vibrations Blaine: Pollinators are disappearing -BYLN-

If your garden is boggy, why not introduce plants like primulas, skunk cabbage, Gunnera and hostas which love those conditions rather than expend energy seeking to change it.

MADE IN CHELSEA; This year's Flower Show took on a new edge, one that's kind to the environment and on the eye

Gunnera,flag irises ANDAMERICAN skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus ) now line the course of the water as it tumbles from the top of the hill and down into the ponds, which are covered in waterlilies and surrounded by bulrushes.

Busy in the garden? Sometimes admiring flowers is just the job

During Invasive Species Week, which runs until Friday, Nennis is focusing on giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and American skunk cabbage.

Action to tackle weeds

I don't believe a rose would be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage."

It's worth remembering that things uniting us are greater than those keeping us apart; Agenda

Despite the repulsive odour of Skunk Cabbage in times of famine the tribes would gather the plant as food but it would have to be boiled to the point where it no longer had much nourishment to detoxity it.

Plant of the week: Plan with disgusting smell was used to induce childbirth

Roedd adar yn gwibio heibio ac roedd y fresychen ddrewllyd, Symplocarpus foetidus, y skunk cabbage yn tyfu wrth ochr y llyn.

Rhyfeddodau'r Gwyllt ym Mhortmeirion; BYD NATUR

The other two works are ''On the Old Santa Fe Road'' and ''Untitled (Skunk Cabbage).'' Those paintings are expected to bring in $3.7 million combined.

O'Keeffe Museum to auction 3 works

I also like large-leaved plants: gunnera, rheums, the yellow skunk cabbage, hostas and in particular rodgersia, in its various forms.

'I can't think of an ny plants I dislike, apart froom weeds' your garden Name: Hugh Jones Address: Cwmpennar, Mountain Ash

The fact - the odious fact - is that Americans have been sowing Skunk Cabbage all along and now they hope that somehow Jasmine will bloom in their garden.

US Afghanistan Strategy: Expecting Jasmine from Skunk Cabbage

Another plant that boasts impressive foliage is the skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus), which grows 1m (3ft) high by 1.25m (4ft) wide.

A soggy, boggy bliss; Bog plants may be the saviour for gardeners battling with soggy ground, Hannah Stephenson discovers