ARUM FAMILY. 115 
healthy blood may in some cases be effective against the 
action of the phallin. 
The fungus grows usually in woods, or along their 
borders. It is from three to six inches high, with a cap 
three to five inches broad, any colour from 
pure white to olive or brown. It is usually 
smooth, but has sometimes a few patches of membrane 
adhering to the top. The gills, spores, and stalk are 
white. The latter has a conspicuous ring beneath the 
cap, and its bulbous base is enclosed in a membranous 
cup, the “Death Cup.” The bulb is buried deeply, and 
is often left behind in gathering the fungus. The stalk 
is hollow, or when young loosely filled with material sug~ 
gestive of cotton fibre. 
The Plant. 
ARUM FAMILY—Araceae. 
SKUNK CABBAGE—Symplocarpus foetidus (L.) Nutt. 
Other Common Names: Polecat-weed, Swamp Cab- 
bage. : 
The plant derives its common name from its strong 
odour. It is acrid and poisonous, “causing vomiting and 
temporary blindness” (Pammel). It is, however, avoid- 
ed by animals. 
The tough, thick, pointed, leaf-like spathe, pale green 
with purple blotches and streaks, is laid down in the fall, 
and in the early spring expands, disclosing the smali 
purple flowers which are borne on a fleshy axis, called 
the spadix. This spadix enlarges, and the scarlet fruits 
are embedded in it. The enormous, short petioled leaves, 
with heart-shaped base, and short, eee stem appear 
in later spring. 
