Lysichiton americanum
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Common name: Skunk Cabbage
Lysichiton americanum is native to the Pacific Northwest. First Nations used them extensively.
Erica's Original Notes: The leaves were rendered limp by passing them through fire, and then they would be used to line baskets or wrap around things - a sort of wax paper! If First Nations had no use for a plant, it had no native name; before using trees and plants, permission of the spirits was always requested first. They never made alcoholic beverages and drank only water.
Its pollination phase is in late winter, but the sex organs of the flower generate enough heat to melt snow and make the plant available to pollinators.For more about this fascinating plant, see the Weekly Update.