Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) belongs to the Arum Family (Araceae). This distinctive plant of marshy woods sprouts so early in spring that the heat of cellular respiration resulting from its rapid growth actually melts snow or ice around it. Its strong fetid odor, especially when the plant is bruised, resembles decaying flesh and lures insects to pollinate it when flowering from February - May. Habitat: Open swamps and marshes along streams and wet woodlands. Range: Much of southern Canada ; throughout U.S. Northeast; south to upland Georgia; west to Iowa. Ludlow, MA. USA. Spring. Wild.