Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 29 



Genus (Symplocarpus). 



The common SKUNK CABBAGE (Symplocarpus 

 foetidus) although regarded by many only with dis- 

 gust, has one claim that cannot be disputed, that of 

 being our first flower to bloom each year. It is not 

 uncommon to find them with the shell-like spathe 

 above ground and the pollen fully ripened even in 

 January although from the latter part of February 

 to the first of May is the usual flowering season. 



While the ground is covered with snow, a tiny awl 

 point thrusts its way through the hard earth and 

 slowly enlarges and expands, until, by the time the 

 melting snow gives us our first glimpse of the ground, 

 we find the skunk cabbage fully developed and await- 

 ing its insect visitors. The first warm days bring 

 forth quantities of small flies, many of which have 

 simply been dormant beneath the leaves. These flies 

 feed upon decaying animal matter; they have no 

 aesthetic taste and beautiful flowers would lack the 

 attractiveness to them that the ill-scented skunk cab- 

 bage has. We must conclude that this odor, combin- 

 ing that of the skunk and of putrid meat is for the 

 purpose of attracting carrion flies that they may per- 

 form the function of fertilizing the flowers. 



The flower spathes show a very great diversity of 

 coloring according to their age, ranging from a pale 

 green sparingly streaked with brown to an almost 

 solid purple tone. 



The flowers are small, perfect and closely crowd- 

 ed on the thick fleshy spadix, concealed or partially 

 so by .the large, thick, purple and green stained hood; 

 The leaves appear after the flower has withered or 

 commenced to do so; they are bright green, large, 

 cabbage-like, and strongly veined; quite handsome, 

 in fact. These plants range from N. S. to Minn, and 

 southwards, chiefly in boggy ground. 



