Swamp Lantern

Redwood Flowers Types of Flowers Milkmaids Pink Flowering Currant Red Waxy Cap Redwood Sorrell Redwood Trillium Salmonberry

Swamp Lanterns (Lysichiton americanus) are native plants in the family Araceaecan, found in the lower altitude, bog areas of the Redwoods.

Their range extends to many West Coast wetland and bog areas from California to Alaska, and they share similar characteristics with other members of the family Araceae.

The picture shows the plant with large leaves, and a spadix growing next to a large yellow spathe. Using some imagination makes it easier to think of the yellow spathe as giving the plant a lantern-like appearance. The flowers grow on the spadix.

The plant's odor provides an explanation for another of its common names, skunk cabbage. That name is often applied to a couple different species of Araceae. Most people find the plant's odor unpleasant, however it does attract insects for pollination.

© 2008 Patricia A. Michaels