SKUNK-CABBAGE (SYMPLOCARPUS FOETIDUS)

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Neither cabbage nor skunk, this Nova Scotian member of the tropical arum family is unique. Its odd purplish flower spathe erupts from the soil in March, producing enough metabolic heat to raise the soil temperature. By early summer the plant, with its broad, flat leaves, spans more than a metre (3 feet) across.

Aside from the visual impact, the swampy woods that house it have the distinctive fragrance of the familiar black-and-white rodent after which the plant was named.

In case you are not deterred by the odour, the plant contains crystal bundles of calcium oxalates, which produce severe inflammation (burning) in the mouth and throat.

POISON LOCATION

The greatest concentration of the toxin occurs in the leaves.

POISON TYPE

Calcium oxalate, a compound derived from oxalic acid, as well as enzymes that trigger the release of histamine in the bloodstream of persons who ingest the leaves. Oxalates are needle-like crystals, which, when eaten, may pierce the mouth, throat, and digestive tract as they pass through, causing, at the very least, intense discomfort.

TYPICAL POISONING SCENARIO

The main problem lies with infants, toddlers, or pets who, once attracted to the showy flowers and foliage, may nibble on the leaves. If arums are kept out of curious mouths, there is little further risk, as they are quite safe to handle.

SYMPTOMS

Even small doses of oxalate toxin is enough to cause intense sensations of burning in the mouth and throat, swelling, and choking.

In larger doses, oxalate causes severe digestive upset, breathing difficulties, and—if enough is consumed—convulsions, coma, and death. Recovery from severe oxalate poisoning is possible, but permanent liver and kidney damage may have occurred.

SKUNK-CABBAGE POISON INFORMATION

Oxalates

Oxalates are unstable salts of oxalic acid. When eaten, they break down to release the highly poisonous acid.

The sour flavour of sorrel (Rumex species), wood sorrel (Oxalis), and even rhubarb is due to the presence of the acid.

Some plants may contain differing amounts of potassium or calcium salts, rendering them unsafe, particularly in the buckwheat and goosefoot families.

SEE ALSO

Caladium

Dumbcane

Philodendron

Jack-in-the-pulpit; Indian Turnip

Laceleaf

POISON PLANT LOOKUP

Browse Plant Guide By --------------------------------- Plant Category / Family Common Plant Name Botanical Plant Name Poison Type Choose Browse Criteria

Choose Plant Family --------------------------------- Algues toxiquesAloe FamilyAmanita FamilyAmanita Family2Amaryllis FamilyArum FamilyBean FamilyBirch FamilyBuckeye FamilyBuckwheat FamilyButtercup FamilyCashew FamilyFlax FamilyFumitory FamilyHeath FamilyHolly FamilyHoneysuckle FamilyHymenogastraceaeHymenogastraceae FamilyLily FamilyMagic MushroomsMagic Mushrooms2Magic Mushrooms3Mezereum FamilyNightshade FamilyParsley FamilyPlantain FamilyPoisonous AlgaePoisonous AlgaePoppy FamilyRose FamilySensitive-fern FamilySnapdragon FamilySpurge FamilySt. Johns-wort FamilySunflower FamilyYew Family

Choose Common Plant --------------------------------- AlderAloeAutumn CrocusBaneberryBleeding HeartBloodrootBracken FernBuckwheatButtercupCaladiumCastor BeanCherry, Chokecherry, PlumCloverCommon St. John's-wortConocybeCrotonCrown-of-thornsDaffodilDaphneDeadly GalerinaDestroying AngelDumbcaneElderberryEnglish HollyFalse HelleboreFlaxFly AgaricFoxgloveGolden ChainHorse-chestnutJack-in-the-pulpit; Indian TurnipJimsonweedLaceleafLarkspur and MonkshoodLiberty CapLily of the valleyLocustLupin or LupineMarsh-marigoldNightshade, BittersweetPanaeolusPhilodendronPlantainPoinsettiaPoison HemlockPoison IvyPoppyRagweedRed TideRhododendron, Rhodora, AzaleaRhubarbScillaScotch BroomSkunk-cabbageSnow-on-the-mountainStar of BethlehemSun SpurgeTansy RagwortTulipVirgin's-bowerWater-hemlock; CowbaneWinterberry, Canada HollyWormwoodYew

Choose Botanical Plant --------------------------------- Actaea speciesAesculus hippocastanumAlnus speciesAloe barbadensisAmanita muscariaAmanita virosaAmbrosia speciesAnthurium speciesArisaema triphyllumArtemisia speciesCaladiumCaltha palustrisCicuta maculataClematis speciesCodiaeum variegatumColchicum autumnaleConium maculatumConocybeConvallaria speciesCytisus scopariusDaphne mezereumDatura stramoniumDelphinium and AconitumDicentra formosaDieffenbachia speciesDigitalis purpureaEndymion speciesEuphorbia helioscopiaEuphorbia marginataFagopyrum esculentumGalerina AutumnalisHypericum perforatumIlex aquifoliumIlex verticillataKoeberlinia species; Euphorbia speciesLaburnum speciesLinum speciesLupinus speciesNarcissus speciesOrnithogalumPanaeolus speciesPapaver speciesPhilodendron speciesPlantago speciesPoinsettiaPrunus speciesPsilocybe pelliculosa, P. semilanceolataPteridium aquilinumRanunculus speciesRed TideRheum rhabarbarumRhododendron speciesRicinus communisRobinia speciesSambucus speciesSanguinaria canadensisSenecio jacobaeaSolanum dulcamaraSymplocarpus foetidusTaxus speciesToxicodendron radicansTrifolium speciesTulipaVeratrum species

Choose Poison Type --------------------------------- AlcoholAlkaloidsCarcinogens and co-carcinogensGlycosidesHay Fever allergensOxalatesPhenolsPhototoxinsProteins and Amino AcidsResins and Volatile OilsShellfish Poisons

Common Lookups

Poison Ivy

Red Tide

Buttercups

Ragweed

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