@narayani They stink like a skunk if you break any parts of them. As kids we tried to be careful not to step on them but weren't always successful. Stinky sneakers were the penalty. Some say they smell like roadkill but I've smelled my share of roadkill and they don't smell that bad. To me they smell like skunky coffee but with a sharper, acidic quality.
American skunk cabbage is an unusual plant. More like a skunk than a cabbage. They generate heat and melt their way up through the snow and frozen ground in January or February to flower. The plant can maintain 50ºF inside the flower spathe even if the outside temperature is below freezing. This is great for early pollinators like flies and beetles as well as early rising honey bees. Yellow throated warblers may nest in the spathes because the smell hides their presence. No Yellow Throated Warblers around here but the huge leaves shelter other birds and small mammals.
American skunk cabbage is an unusual plant. More like a skunk than a cabbage. They generate heat and melt their way up through the snow and frozen ground in January or February to flower. The plant can maintain 50ºF inside the flower spathe even if the outside temperature is below freezing. This is great for early pollinators like flies and beetles as well as early rising honey bees. Yellow throated warblers may nest in the spathes because the smell hides their presence. No Yellow Throated Warblers around here but the huge leaves shelter other birds and small mammals.