American Skunk Cabbage
Western Skunk Cabbages are foul-smelling plants that grow in damp areas (edges of streams, marshy areas) in the Pacific Northwest.
Unlike Eastern Skunk Cabbages, the long, shiny, green leaves appear before the flowers, growing to a height of 1-2 ft. Western Skunk Cabbages flower from March to May, producing stalks of tiny, tightly-packed, yellow-green flowers surrounded by a bright yellow, hood-like bract. The flowers later turn into reddish-brown berries.
Did you know? Western Skunk Cabbages grow slowly, forming dense patches that may survive for up to 80 years.
Easy - numerous and usually easy to spot
in the habitats listed at the appropriate time of
year.
Wetlands are low-lying areas that are covered by
water all or most of the time and support a variety of
aquatic plants. This habitat includes rivers, streams,
lakes, ponds, bogs, and marshes.