My Deer Garden

Plant record · Perennial

Is Skunk Cabbage deer resistant?

Symplocarpus foetidus

Hooded spathe of eastern skunk cabbage
Photo by Sue Sweeney, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 2 of 4 · Seldom Severely Damaged

Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.

Type
Perennial
Hardiness
Zones 4–7
Light
Full shade to part shade
Height
24–36 in
Bloom
Spring and Winter
Maintenance
Low
Native range
24 US states
Toxic to
dogs, cats, and horses

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Skunk Cabbage

Genuinely remarkable: it generates its own heat and melts through snow to flower in February, and the smell of rotting flesh draws the flies that pollinate it. Wants permanently boggy ground and will not grow anywhere drier. Not a bed plant, but unmatched in a wet woodland.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5 to 7
Drainage
Tolerates wet feet
Water
High
Spacing
24 to 35 in apart
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low

Similar to Skunk Cabbage

Other perennials with the same deer rating.

Where Skunk Cabbage grows

Hardy across 48 states on zone range alone, and native to 24 of them. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — not hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — not hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — not hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Native and hardyHardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Skunk Cabbage

Is Skunk Cabbage deer resistant?
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged, step 2 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
What hardiness zones does Skunk Cabbage grow in?
Skunk Cabbage is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Skunk Cabbage grow in shade?
Yes. Skunk Cabbage tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Skunk Cabbage get?
Mature height is roughly 24–36 in. Growth rate is slow.
Is Skunk Cabbage toxic to dogs or cats?
Yes. The ASPCA lists Skunk Cabbage as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.

Browse from here

Every list Skunk Cabbage belongs to.

All perennials·Seldom damaged·Shade plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .