''Symplocarpus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of flowering plants in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Araceae The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). Also ...

, native to

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and eastern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The genus is characterized by having large leaves and deep root systems with

contractile root Contractility refers to the ability for self- contraction, especially of the muscles or similar active biological tissue *Contractile ring in cytokinesis *Contractile vacuole *Muscle contraction **Myocardial contractility *See contractile cell fo ...

s used for changing the plant's level with the ground. ''Symplocarpus'' species grow from a

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

and their leaves release a foul odor when crushed.Flora of North America Vol. 22, ''Symplocarpus foetidus'' (Linnaeus) Salisbury ex W. P. C. Barton, Veg. Mater. Med. U.S. 1: 123. 1817.
/ref> The best known species is ''

Symplocarpus foetidus ''Symplocarpus foetidus'', commonly known as skunk cabbage or eastern skunk cabbage (also swamp cabbage, clumpfoot cabbage, or meadow cabbage, foetid pothos or polecat weed), is a low-growing plant that grows in wetlands and moist hill slopes of ...

'', commonly called "skunk cabbage".

Species

# '' Symplocarpus egorovii'' N.S.Pavlova & V.A.Nechaev - Primorye region of Russia # ''

'' (L.) Salisb. ex W.P.C.Barton - southeastern Canada and northeastern United States, from Tennessee to Minnesota and Nova ScotiaBiota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution map
/ref> # '' Symplocarpus nabekuraensis'' Otsuka & K.Inoue - Mt. Nabekura in west-central Honshu in Japan # '' Symplocarpus nipponicus'' Makino - Korea, northern Japan, northeastern China # '' Symplocarpus renifolius'' Schott ex Tzvelev - Russian Far East, Korea, northern Japan, northeastern China

References

Araceae genera Orontioideae Taxa named by William P. C. Barton {{Araceae-stub