Species Account

 SKUNK CABBAGE

Western Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) is an unmistakable plant that many northwesterners are familiar with. It can be found in several areas of the Arboretum and in moist swampy areas on campus.

The leaves of Skunk Cabbage are the biggest of any plant in our region. They can be 1.5 to almost 5 feet in length. Native Americans used the leaves like wax paper to wrap up salmon and to line baskets for berry gathering. The leaves were eaten only in lean times when other food was scarce.

 

The individual flowers of Skunk Cabbage are actually small. They are the little nibs arranged in circles on the central spike, which looks vaguely like a pineapple. This structure is called a spadix and is a distinguishing feature of plants in the familyAraceae. Forming a bright yellow hood around the spadix of a Skunk Cabbage is the spathe.

Skunk Cabbage mainly grows where the soil is wet– near streams and in boggy places. It is one of the earliest blooming plants in the Pacific Northwest as well as campus.

The coolest thing about Skunk Cabbage is that it actually heats itself. A chemical reaction in the cells of Skunk Cabbage’s flowers produce heat, which helps the plant melt through snow and ice as it grows in spring.

 

The flowers do give off a skunky smell, although it isn’t very powerful. The smell attracts insect pollinators. Chief among these pollinators is the beetle Pelecomalius testaceum, which apparently specializes on Skunk Cabbage, as well as various flies.

Another interesting thing about Skunk Cabbage is its roots. Spreading out from the central stem, the light colored bundle of roots looks a lot like large earthworms. Like earthworms, the roots have little ridges which contract slightly, pulling the plant down into the earth a fraction of an inch each year. After years of wriggling, the underground stem of mature skunk cabbages can grow anywhere from two to twelve inches long!

If it is not disturbed in its natural habitat, a skunk cabbage plant may live for a very long time. No one know for sure how old a skunk cabbage can get, but some researchers believe the largest ones could be hundreds of years old!

Although at times used for food skunk cabbage contains calcium oxalate crystals, which create a burning sensation when eaten. This protects the plant from large predators.

Even though parts of the plant are toxic, skunk cabbage is also known for its healing agents. In the past, American Indians would smell the crushed leaves of the plant as a cure for headaches. They made the raw root into a cream to relieve pain and swelling from muscle aches, and boiled a small amount of the root to make cough syrup and tea.

STINGING NETTLE

Stinging nettle or common nettle (Urtica dioica) is common all over the Pacific North West. It can be found in several areas on campus and is fairly abundant down in the Arboretum. They prefer areas with moist soil and high concentrations of nitrogen. Stinging nettles are a fascinating plant because of their medicinal benefits as well as their painful stings.  

Nettle toxin is not fully understood. The nature of the toxin secreted by nettles has been contested for some time. A nettle stings by puncturing the outer layer of skin with small glasslike hypodermic needles filled with a complex toxin.  The stinging hairs of most nettle species contain formic acid, serotonin and various histamines; however recent studies of a New Zealand nettle implicates oxalic acid and tartaric acid rather than any of those substances, at least in that species. What makes a nettles sting so potent and painful is still being researched. While normally harmless, in high enough concentrations, nettle toxin can cause paralysis and a shutdown of the central nervous system.  

While the toxic nature may scare some, nettles are widely used as a form of medicine for various ailments. Some people deliberately applying stinging nettles to the skin in order to provoke inflammation. This is done as a folk remedy for rheumatism, providing temporary relief from pain. Nettle leaf is a herb that has a long tradition of use as an adjuvant remedy in the treatment of arthritis in Germany. Nettle leaf extract contains active compounds that reduce inflammatory cytokines. It has been demonstrated that nettle leaf lowers cytokines levels by potently inhibiting the genetic transcription factor that activates them  in the tissue that lines the joints.

Because it contains tetrahydrofuran, certain extracts of the nettle are used by bodybuilders in an effort to increase free testosterone by occupying sex-hormone binding globulin.

Stinging nettle has a flavour similar to spinach and cucumber when cooked and is rich in vitamins A, C, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium. Young plants were harvested by Native Americans and used as a cooked plant in spring when other food plants were scarce. Soaking nettles in water or cooking will remove the stinging chemicals from the plant, which allows them to be handled and eaten without incidence of stinging.

DANDELIONS

It would be impossible to live in the Norwest or go to college her at the UW without seeing a plethora of these pesky little forbs. They are easily recognized by their bright, golden yellow flower, the deeply indented ground hugging leaves, and a hollow stem containing a harmless, bitter, milky juice. The dandelion usually comes out in early spring, as soon as the leaves begin to show. Interestingly for a plant that is so common and widespread it is not native to the Pacific Northwest. It came with the European settlers to the New World and now the hardy perennial forb is generally found across all of North America.

Dandelions are resilient for a number of reasons. Its long, thick, tough, carrot-like root can burrow up to three feet underground making it difficult to eradicate. The flower head is not one Bloom, but are made up of hundreds of min-flowers, each independent of one another. The blossoms at the end of the stem turn into white, fluffy seed balls. They then blow off into all directions, spreading their seeds and finding root for the next year. The seeds are conceived without pollination or fertilization.

The leaves grow in a flat, rosette arrangement and only the hollow stalk shoots up to the present what appears to be a single blossom. Dandelions have an incredible built-in clock which is controlled by light, the flowers close each evening and to open again at sunrise.

For those on campus looking for a cheap meal, Dandelions are the perfect choice. The leaves can be plucked anytime, they are best in the early spring before the flower blooms and the leaves turn bitter. The spring roots are also tender. The best salads are made with fresh picked leaves, and should be seasoned like any other salads. They are somewhat tangy and chewy. The young leaves can also be cooked like spinach and served with the main course.

As the season progresses, the fall roots are much stronger. If you wash and dry the roots, then shred it in a blender, you can make dandelion tea. If you roast the ground roots, you can make your own gourmet coffee substitute. Wine can even be made from dandelions.

The dandelion was one of the more than 2000 herbs that were used when the settlers came from England. The roots have been used in tonics and liver cures, as well as to stop infections, skin diseases, dropsy, and to settle the digestive tract. Dandelion juice was credited with removing warts, blisters, freckles and growing hair on bald heads and eyebrows. Because it is non-native, indigenous people never utilized it.  

Dandelions are an excellent source of vitamin A, some B, and contains proteins, calcium, iron, sodium, phosphorous and a decent amount of vitamin C, magnesium and potassium.

White Clover

White clover likes to grow in fields and disturbed areas and can be identified by its tri-leaf structure, and the white “V” shape on its leaves.  The white clover has been used for thousands of years for various different purposes.  It is a member of the legume family, and as such makes a great nitrogen fixing crop in agriculture.  Native Americans used the white clover leaves to make a tea that help with colds.  Today white clover can be used to help a number of different ailments including bronchial coughs, whooping coughs, and pertussis.  It is said to be an overall proponent of strength and health and a great calming agent. 

You can eat the flowers which have a sweet taste because of their honey, and the young leaves as long as the flowers have not yet bloomed.  Bees love this plant, and consequently beekeepers will sometimes place their beehives in a field of clover to make clover honey.  When ingesting white clover, be careful that no part of the plant has been damaged or wilted because this can allow for a toxin to produce that can be harmful.  As mentioned before both the leaves and flowers make a healthy tea, and the flowers can make a tasty addition to salads and breads.

 

 

 

 

 

Lupine

Lupines are common to North America and are a member of the legume family which means they are a nitrogen fixing plant.  Their flowers can be pink, purple, blue, yellow or white, and they can grow to around 26 inches.  The seeds of the lupines were loved by the Romans who spread the plant throughout the Roman Empire.  The name Lupine comes from the Latin word lupines, which means wolf.  They were named for the way which the lupines would ravage the land like wolves, and perhaps that the lupine peas were said to be fit only for consumption by wolves. 

Despite the Sweet Lupine’s popularity as a source of dietary fiber and in Lupine Pasta, it is commonly believed that lupines are often toxic to humans because of the alkaloids they produce, and are on the list for foodstuff allergens.  It is generally recommended to refrain from consuming this plant, especially if you suffer from a peanut allergy.