Skunk Cabbage

From NarratingLandscapes

Skunk Cabbage
Skunk Cabbage growing in the ravine just south of the intersection of West 33rd Avenue and Yew Street in Vancouver (photo taken August, 2008).
Botanical Name:	Lysichiton americanum
Family:	Arum (Araceae)

The Skunk Cabbage plant consists of a bright yellow, erect, odd looking flower (consisting of a bright yellow hood surrounded by a clublike flower stalk) that can stand up to 40 cm tall, surrounded by a cluster of long and broad light green waxy leaves set on thick stalks that can range in length up to 100 cm long. The Skunk Cabbage prefers damp and soils, and shaded conditions, and can be found in the coastal forests of British Columbia. It flowers in the spring time, but if the location is too dark, Skunk Cabbage may not flower at all.

Warning: Although the coastal first nations had many uses for Skunk Cabbage (Skunk Cabbage, Uses) in relation to food storing, preservation, or carrying, the leaves themselves contain needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate, which, if eaten raw can be embedded in the tissues of the throat. In addition to causing intense pain, the swelling caused by the irritation of the tissues may cause choking, and can lead to death.

Turner, Nancy. 1998. Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia. Vancouver: UBC Press, pp 103-104.

Turner, Nancy. 2004. Plants of Haida Gwaii. Winlaw, British Columbia: Sononis Press, p 145.

Alaback, Paul et.al. 2004. Plants of Coastal British Columbia including Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Ed. Pojar, Jim and MacKinnon, Andy. Vancouver: Lone Pine Publishing, p 334.

Varner, Collin 2002. Plants of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Vancouver: Raincoast Books, p 57.

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