Photo Credits: Annette Buchkowski, Arisaema #1509049119 stock.adobe.com
Arisaema triphyllum - Jack-In-the-Pulpit - Araceae Family, native to eastern US hardwood forests - my childhood introduction to the mysteries of native plants
Photo Credits: Picture Partners, Young Lysichiton, # 495616486, stock.adobe.com
Lysichiton americanus - Western Skunk Cabbage, Araceae family, Pacific NW Native that shares some similarities to its eastern counterpart, Symplocarpus foetidus, which are classified in different genera. Both might be indicated only in very low amounts by skilled herbalists for relaxing the respiratory and musculosketetal tissues. This fresh wetland plant, as well as its cousin, Jack-in-the-Pulpit above, is high in calcium oxalates known as raphides that are particularly excoriating to the tissues, and may be fatal without correct and intentional processing for safe use. Their aroma is strong and skunk-like, attracting certain beneficial pollinators.
