Is Skunk Cabbage deer resistant?
Symplocarpus foetidus
Plant typePerennialHardinessZones 4–7LightFull shade to part shadeMature height24–36 inBloomSpring and Winter
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
Native range24 US states
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
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 border 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.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
Where Skunk Cabbage grows
Hardy across most of these 48 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesotanative
- Missouri
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermontnative
- Mainenative
- Rhode Islandnative
- Delawarenative
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolina
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowanative
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbianative
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 24 US states in total.
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Every list Skunk Cabbage belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Skunk Cabbage
- Is Skunk Cabbage deer resistant?
- Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. 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.