John Katko
Skunk-cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) Skunk-cabbage, a member of the Arum family (with Jack-in-the-Pulpit, calla, and sweet flag) has a specialized flower morphology called a spathe, which is a cowl or hood structure covering the reproductive parts, and, inside, a spadix, which is a club-shaped structure that bears the flowers. The spadix’s metabolism produces heat and the bloom regulates its temperature at about 60 to 70 degrees F, even in sub-freezing temperatures.
Skunk-cabbage grows in low, soggy ground and in forested seeps and springs. During bloom, the leaves are inconspicuous, just beginning to bud as 3-inch cone-shaped masses near the flowers, but by the middle of May they have grown out to resemble a loose cabbage head up to 2 to 3 feet or higher. In June the leaves die back, revealing ripened fruits on the spadix. Skunk-cabbage reaches full bloom in late February to early March. C of C: 7
Yellow Water Buttercup (Ranunculus flabellaris)
Jim McCormac
Part of the buttercup family, this plant is unmistakable, at least when in flower. No other aquatic Ohio plant has this combination of dissected leaves and golden flowers. The only other strictly aquatic buttercup in the state is the white water buttercup (with white flowers).
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This buttercup blooms from early spring through early to mid-summer, and it is rather shocking to see its yellow blossoms jutting from deep water. It is often indicative of high-quality habitats.
The yellow water buttercup is scattered and local, and has been documented in roughly 24 of Ohio’s counties. It is most likely to be found in glaciated western and northern regions. This buttercup is strictly aquatic. The leaves, which can be submersed and floating, are alternate and much dissected into thread-like segments. Its bright yellow flowers are held above the water’s surface on thick petioles. C of C: 8