24 



words av/j.-irXoKT], meaning connection and Kapwos, fruit. This is 

 quite appropriate, since the ovaries unite to form a compound 

 fruit. Linnaeus gave us its specific name of foetidus. Many 

 scientists use the term Spathyema, as given by Rafinesque. A 

 point interesting in regard to its name is that the early Swedish 

 settlers around Philadelphia called it bear-weed, because the 

 bears relished the early green food and feasted on its leaves, 

 which are'quite large and conspicuous, like coarse cabbage leaves. 

 Order and family. — We have heard so much about its disagree- 

 able odor that we hardly realize that it belongs to the same family 

 as our Calla lily, for it is a member of the family Araceae. Ac- 

 cording to Gray, "they are plants with acrid or pungent juices, 

 simple or compound often veiny leaves and flowers crowded on a 

 spadix which is normally surrounded with a spathe." Other 

 closely allied plants, which we find around here, are the golden 

 club, so common in Jersey ponds and the familiar jack-in-the- 

 pulpit. Neither of these, however, possesses the pungent odor, 

 but the Jack, or Indian turnip, is like Symplocarpus in that it has 

 many crystals found in the root, which give it a biting clawing 

 taste. 



Early growth 



Flower, spathe. — ^The first signs of the plant are the sessile 

 hood-shaped spathes which come up though the ground early 

 or late in the winter, even when the ground is hard with 

 ice at a foot's depth. The flowers are included in a thick 

 leathery spathe. This in general is like a hood, or even shell- 

 shaped. It is sessile and grows close to the ground. In most 

 instances, it has the same general form, although there is a wide 

 variation in contour, size and coloring. Some of these leaf-like 

 spathes are deeply curved, others stand more erect. Some are 

 found which are double. In this case there seems to be a 

 spathe inside a spathe, the open part of the outer spathe 

 coming against the rounded back of the inner spathe. Also in 

 such cases the innermost spathe seems to have a longer, more 

 leaf-like tip which projects backward and out beyond the outer 

 spathe tip. One plant was found this spring (1918) at South 

 Springfield, Pa., with four double spathes. 



