Eastern Skunk Cabbage
Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is a native low growing plant that grown in wetlands, near streams and moist hill slopes. It grows from a thick rhizome, typically a foot in length, and has large green leaves that are 16 to 22 inches long and 12 to 16 inches wide. The leaves emerge after the spadix (fleshy stalk), and are pulled back to the soil at the end of the growing season in Fall.
Eastern skunk cabbage is one of only a few plants that can metabolically generate heat. Since it can bloom while there is still snow and ice around, the spadix can generate enough heat so that it is up to 20 F warmer inside the plant than outside. It can even do this for up to two weeks, ensuring a constant temperature for optimal flower maturation and pollination.
The flowers of the skunk cabbage are one of the first to emerge at the end of Winter. It consists of a large hood-like spathe that twists around and has an opening of 4 to 6 inches on one side, where it forms a protective enclosure for the ovoid spadix. The spathe is usually maroon with yellow or green streaks and the ovoid spadix is yellow. Numerous small straw-colored flowers can be seen along the spadix.
The flower of the skunk cabbage is putrid which attracts beetles, flies and gnats who visit it and carry the pollen from one flower to another to pollinate. After pollination the spathe disappears and the spadix develops in a fruit head. This fruit is dark brown to black in color appears berry-like. A seed is in each berry and these are released in the ground as the fruit heads fall apart, germinating in the soil where they fall.
Although the eastern skunk cabbage can be used in herbal medicine, it is not recommended that any of the plant be eaten raw. The roots can cause nausea and vomiting, headache and dizziness, while the leaves can burn the skin. This is due to Calcium Oxalate crystals within the plant. Toxicity of the plant can be eliminated by changing the water frequently while boiling and thoroughly drying the plant before use.
Interesting Facts
Skunk Cabbage was used by the Native Americans as a medicinal herb, spice and talisman.
From 1820 to 1882 it was used to treat respiratory conditions, neurological disorders and rheumatism.
Spiders like to spin their webs at the entrence of the pod so they can trap visiting insects and catch an easy meal.
Tree Decomposition
The lifecycle of a tree varies depending on their species and their environment. Some trees can live hundreds of years because they continually produce new tissue and are able to adapt to their surroundings. The majority of trees however, die earlier than this due to disease, injury or unfavorable environmental conditions.
Tree decay is the process of rotting or decomposition. When this biological process occurs the wood’s cellulose and lignin convert to carbon dioxide and water and the remaining nutrients are released into the soil. It can be caused by many factors, including; wounds, stubs, scars and root damage.
Trees can also rot from the inside out, making it harder to spot the signs of decay. Three types of rot can be caused by fungi, these are; white, brown and soft rot.
Wounds – These occur when a tree is injured limiting its ability to take in water or food and protect itself from infection, infestation or disease.
Stubs – A stub is created when tree branches break off, such as in a storm, or die. This can cause a wound that may not heal resulting in a hole that will invite decay.
Scars – When bark is removed or dies off, scars can leave the inside of the tree exposed to decay. Animals can cause scarring when looking for food and humans can cause scarring by writing messages on the bark.
Root damage – When roots don’t get enough oxygen or the right amount of water decay can begin underground.
White, brown and soft rot – Each kind of rot causes the wood to appear differently. White rot is present when the wood appears to be lighter, this occurs when the fungi feed on lignin. Brown rot can make the wood look crumbly and browner in color, this is due to larger amounts of lignin being left behind. Soft rot occurs when a fungus uses enzymes and nitrogen in the soil to break down cellulose. Soft rotting logs are usually partially buried in the soil.
So, what does tree decomposition look like?
Many fungi make their way onto decaying wood using microscopic spores that can drift in the air. Fungi will often inhabit a tree, living with them their whole life, only to become active when the tree becomes stressed or old.
Most often, when you see a fungus on the side of a tree it means the tree is in some level of trouble. Fungi commonly spread by extending their network of branches and as they spread along a dying or dead tree, they release enzymes that break down the wood and allow the fungus to feed on it.
As decay advances, more organisms such as bacteria, slugs, beetles woodlice and millipedes come along to assist in the processes. These organisms are called detritivores, and as they feed on the wood, they open it up to moisture which helps it to fall apart and decompose even faster.
Once the rotten wood starts to mix with the underlying soil, earthworms and springtails consume it, furthering the process of decomposition.
Other signs of tree decomposition can include soft or brittle wood, where the branches or bark easily break off, and discolored leaves, when the leaves change color off-season.
The rate at which a tree decomposes varies on many factors such as tree species and age, climate as well as the number of fungi and insects present.
How do fallen trees provide life?
The nutrients a tree uses to build itself during its lifespan are spread into the soil when it dies and decomposes. This makes the soil richer for other plants to use around it, and they are essential for small trees to grow and replace the dead ones.
Fallen trees also sustain the many organisms, such as the fungi, beetles and earthworms. Which in turn feed the other animals that prey on them and so on.
Once a tree falls it also leaves behind more space in the forest so more light can reach the forest floor, allowing for other vegetation to grow.
Fallen trees that are hollow can also provide shelter for animals such as foxes and bears who make their dens in them.
Fun Activity
Have a look at one of the many fallen logs around Mighton Woods and see if you can spot the organisms that are playing their part in the decomposition of the wood.
Shelf Fungi
Shelf fungi or polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores and tubes on the underside, that inhabit tree trunks or branches consuming the wood, they are also the most important agent of wood decay by playing a significant role in nutrient cycling and aiding carbon dioxide absorption by forest ecosystems.
Polypores are also known as bracket fungi or shelf fungi because they characteristically produce woody, shelf or bracket shaped fruiting bodies that are called conks. Shelf fungi are mainly found on trees (mostly dead or dying) and coarse woody debris, and often resemble mushrooms.
Polypores are a lot more diverse in old natural forests with abundant dead wood than in younger forests. Currently, over a thousand polypore species have been described by science. However, a number of species have declined and are under the threat of extinction due to logging and deforestation.
