← Species guide
American skunk cabbage
Moderate riskLysichiton americanus
A pond-garden plant with striking yellow arum flowers that has escaped into wet ground and streamside margins, where it forms dense crowds that swamp native marsh flora.
How to identify it
- Large yellow hooded flower like a skunk in shape and smell, March–May
- Huge cabbage-like leaves up to 1m long on thick stems
- Growths in wet ground, pond edges and stream margins
- Seed spikes turn brown and shed hundreds of seeds in summer
Why it matters
- Dense leaf crowds shade out native marsh and streamside flora
- Spreads along drainage ditches into conservation wetlands
How to control it
- Dig out whole plants including the rootstock before seed sets
- Cut flower heads and bag them if digging is not possible
- Never empty pond or aquarium material into streams or ditches
