skunk cabbage
1
8.9
- noun
- /skʌŋk ˈkæbɪdʒ/
- US
:
repollo hediondo
- In early spring, the skunk cabbage emerges from the thawed ground, signaling the change of seasons.
- marsh skunk cabbage
- skunk cabbage in swamp
- western skunk cabbage
Examples
-
Patches of skunk cabbage thrive beneath the shrubs.
Academic text (2011) -
The skunk cabbage's early blooms, stubbornly defeating the freezing nights, were the only flowers available for the nature photographer.
Academic text (2010) -
The air smelled faintly of skunk cabbage.
Fiction book (1994) -
As the season began to wane, the days lengthened ever so slightly, he tramped with a purpose, seeking signs of the first blossom of the skunk cabbage on the low ground by the river.
Fiction book (1994) -
Interestingly, the skunk cabbage spadix is able to generate intense heat through an unusual type of respiration; it is a plant exhibiting thermogenesis.
Academic text (2010) -
A wetland was filled with a variety of plants, including the distinctive skunk cabbage, with its large, bold leaves.
-
During our hike, we spotted the foul-smelling skunk cabbage growing in the swampy area near the stream.
Synonyms
A low swamp plant with a strong bad smell and a small flower inside a green or purple cover
A low-growing swamp plant from eastern North America with a strong bad smell and tiny flowers
A small swamp plant with a bad smell and tiny flowers under a spotted green or purple hood
A group of wetland plants like skunk cabbage that grow in eastern North America and eastern Asia
A marsh plant with a yellow leaf-like flower and a strong bad smell
A wetland plant with large leaves and a strong, unpleasant smell like skunk cabbage
A small marsh plant like skunk cabbage that grows in wet places and has a strong smell
How Smelly
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun combines 'skunk' (suggesting a strong, foul smell) with 'cabbage' (a leafy plant), so the meaning 'a cabbage-like plant that smells like a skunk' is directly inferable from the parts. This is a compositional plant name following common noun-noun compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words would very likely understand the MWE.
Etymology
Skunk cabbage is named because its big green leaves look like a cabbage and the plant gives off a strong, bad smell like a skunk. So the name helps you remember a foul-smelling plant that grows in wet, swampy places.