Marty Jones "BIRDS OF INDIANA"
Skunk Cabbage flower head (spadix)
Skunk Cabbage is a large-leafed plant that grows in wet areas, especially near streams, ponds, marshes, and wet woods. It is easy to recognize, with its huge leaves rising directly from the ground.
Skunk Cabbage is one of the first plants to bloom in the Spring, and can bloom anywhere from February to May. The first part of the plant to appear is the spathe. The spathe is a brownish-purple, shell-like pod with green splotches. It may resemble something from a science-fiction movie.
As the spathe gets bigger, it will reveal another part inside, called a spadix. The spadix is a litle knob covered with small yellow flowers.
The flowers metabolize very quickly, so fast that they generate heat in the process. The heat can raise the temperature outside the spade by 15 degrees Celcius. What this means is that the skunk cabbage can actually melt snow.
Seeping Springs Nature Preserve, Montgomery County, Indiana, February 28, 2010.
Skunk Cabbage flower head (spadix)
Skunk Cabbage is a large-leafed plant that grows in wet areas, especially near streams, ponds, marshes, and wet woods. It is easy to recognize, with its huge leaves rising directly from the ground.
Skunk Cabbage is one of the first plants to bloom in the Spring, and can bloom anywhere from February to May. The first part of the plant to appear is the spathe. The spathe is a brownish-purple, shell-like pod with green splotches. It may resemble something from a science-fiction movie.
As the spathe gets bigger, it will reveal another part inside, called a spadix. The spadix is a litle knob covered with small yellow flowers.
The flowers metabolize very quickly, so fast that they generate heat in the process. The heat can raise the temperature outside the spade by 15 degrees Celcius. What this means is that the skunk cabbage can actually melt snow.
Seeping Springs Nature Preserve, Montgomery County, Indiana, February 28, 2010.