Skunk Cabbage (Mizu Bashoo)

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American Skunk Cabbage, Lysichiton americanum

***** Location: Alaska
***** Season: Early Spring
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

It's one of the first signs of spring here -- like giant yellow crocus.
And later, after the blossoms are gone, their enormous leaves just crowd into any landscape where they've ever, regardless of whether someone is trying to create a lawn there now.
Billie Wilson
http://home.gci.net/~alaskahaiku/saijiki.html

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American Skunk Cabbage, Lysichiton americanum



Skunk cabbage plants are easy to find in the West Hylebos Wetlands. The conditions are perfect for its growth, and it can be seen almost continuously as you stroll along the boardwalk.
A good time to observe them is in March and April, before nearby shrubs come into leaf. Skunk cabbage is one of our heralders of spring, because it’s yellow "lantern" emerges before most other "flowers" (see "Appearance" below for description of the actual flower). However, the blooms can continue until mid-summer, so skunk cabbage is a colorful addition to the wetland.

Appearance
Skunk cabbage has two features which make it very noticeable. One is the bright yellow spathe which mostly surrounds the spadix, which is covered by the actual flowers — small, yellow-green, and packed tightly on the club-like spadix. The other impressive feature is the very large leaves of this unusual plant. Possibly the largest leaves of any native plant, they can get 1.4 m (4 1/2') long, and 60 cm (2') wide. These features make skunk cabbage an unmistakable plant.

The skunk cabbage, also known casually as "swamp lantern," does smell mildly like a skunk, but is not offensive. It is when the leaves are crushed or decomposing that the odor more resembles the striped animal’s defensive spray.

Geographical Distribution and Habitat
The Western skunk cabbage is found from Alaska south to Northern California, and east (but less common) to Montana and Idaho. It is most common west of the Cascades, but is plentiful in wet areas inland.

This plant grows in swampy, boggy areas, and is generally found in the wet ground under or near cedar trees. It is sometimes a dominant understory plant of cedar/alder communities, especially in areas that support Western redcedar (Thuja plicata).
The Western skunk cabbage is the only member of the Arum family that is native to the Northwest.
http://www.hylebos.org/statepark/Skunk_Cabbage.htm

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http://www.naturepark.com/skcabbag.htm

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Worldwide use

Flanders

Aronskelk (Aaronstab in German)
used for funeral wreaths... aronskelk de (m.) : arum
gevlekte aronskelk: wake-robin, friar's-cowl, lords-and-ladies
witte aronskelk: arum lily, calla lily.

on her coffin
a few arum lilies
and his kisses

Geert Verbeke
http://happyhaiku.blogspot.com/2004/01/friends-geert-verbeke.html

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Japan

Japanese Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcense)
is a Kigo for Mid-Summer.

Maybe the most famous place for Mizu Bashoo in Japan is the Swamp in Oze, Ozenuma 尾瀬沼.　The flowers are usually of the white kind. Since the huge leaves resemble the leaves of a banana plant, it has the name of "Water Banana".


http://www.hana300.com/mizuba.html

Look at the Banana Leaves:
http://www.hana300.com/basyo0.html




This plant grows colder part of Japan, along the stream of snow-meltwater in spring. This plant is one of the most loved wildflowers in Japan. Japanese name Mizu-basyo(Water-banana) is from that leaf of this plant looks like the one of banana-plant. In spite of the prettyness of this flower, this plant have large leaf, hard to imagin from its flower.
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~vm5s-tjm/e/mizubasyou.htm

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Yellow flowering Mizu Bashoo (Ki-Iro Mizu-Basho) 黄花水芭蕉
アメリカ・ミズバショウ（亜米利加水芭蕉） American Skunk Cabbage
http://aoki2.si.gunma-u.ac.jp/BotanicalGarden/HTMLs/america-mizubashou.html

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

overcast morning--
the rainforest brightens
with skunk cabbage

grassy June hillside--
grandson and friends sliding down
on skunk cabbage leaves

Billie Wilson (Modern Haiku XXX:2, 1999)

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Skunk cabbage
and white tree lilies
full moon dream

--Michael Corr (Nagoya)
http://www.asahi.com/english/haiku/040927.html


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Related words

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