# Can anyone identify this plant?



## .44 (Oct 1, 2010)

22C77D19-7F4B-4B87-87E4-27A022B22204




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.44


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Mar 21, 2020


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22C77D19-7F4B-4B87-87E4-27A022B22204




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.44


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Mar 21, 2020


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This plant is in the woods where I was walking the dog.Would love to know what it is.


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## .44 (Oct 1, 2010)

I realize it’s sideways in the picture,lol.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Pitcher plant , maybe.


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

It's a bit early, but it almost looks like a the start of a Pink Lady-slipper Orchid shape.
I have 3 that blossom every spring around mushrooming time.


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

Skunk cabbage.


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## Ugottaluvit (Jan 29, 2003)

Skunk cabbage


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

Jack in the pulpit


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

Skunk cabbage
A good stash of that may come in handy.

People take skunk cabbage for a wide variety of conditions. It is used to treat breathingproblems including swollen airways (bronchitis), asthma, cough, and whooping cough. It is also used for painful conditions such as joint and muscle pain (rheumatism), headache, and toothache. Some people use it for nervous system disorders including spasms, convulsions, and epilepsy. Skunk cabbage is used for treating infections such as worms, ringworm, and scabies. Other uses include treatment of cancer, fluid retention, excessive bleeding (hemorrhage), anxiety, snakebite, skin sores, splinters, swellings, and wounds. Skunk cabbage is also used to stimulate the digestive system.

As a food, the young leaves, roots, and stalks are boiled and eaten.


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## hungryhollow (Jan 16, 2013)

jeffm said:


> Skunk cabbage
> A good stash of that may come in handy.
> 
> People take skunk cabbage for a wide variety of conditions. It is used to treat breathingproblems including swollen airways (bronchitis), asthma, cough, and whooping cough. It is also used for painful conditions such as joint and muscle pain (rheumatism), headache, and toothache. Some people use it for nervous system disorders including spasms, convulsions, and epilepsy. Skunk cabbage is used for treating infections such as worms, ringworm, and scabies. Other uses include treatment of cancer, fluid retention, excessive bleeding (hemorrhage), anxiety, snakebite, skin sores, splinters, swellings, and wounds. Skunk cabbage is also used to stimulate the digestive system.
> ...


 Wow, I thought it was just skunk cabbage. I'll have to eat some.


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

hungryhollow said:


> Wow, I thought it was just skunk cabbage. I'll have to eat some.


Please read up on it. Special prep is required at times.


The thoroughly dried young leaves are quite good reconstituted in soups or stews. The thoroughly dried rootstocks can be made into a pleasant cocoa-like flour.


*Toxicity*
Skunk cabbage often contains calcium oxalatecrystals, and therefore the plant is considered to have medium toxicity to humans. The toxicity may be removed through careful preparation


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## Tilden Hunter (Jun 14, 2018)

Ugottaluvit said:


> Skunk cabbage





Martin Looker said:


> Jack in the pulpit


These are the names I know it by.


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

Tilden Hunter said:


> These are the names I know it by.


Two different plants. 
http://www.michigannatureguy.com/blog/tag/jack-in-the-pulpit/


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## .44 (Oct 1, 2010)

Thanks for the answer everyone.Was reading up on skunk cabbage and it’s very interesting.


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## .44 (Oct 1, 2010)

A native plant that creates its own heat, Eastern *Skunk Cabbage* provides pollen, shelter and warmth for foraging *bees*. The hard shell spathe encases the flower providing shelter for foraging *bees*.








Beverly Bees › skunk-cabbage-late-...
*The Little Known Secret of Skunk Cabbage - Beverly Bees*

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About Featured Snippets

*PEOPLE*


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## Rowdy Bandit (Mar 22, 2016)

Very interesting. My first thought was Jack in the Pulpit, but I thought that was more of a taller flowering plant.

I used to see tons of the plant shown in the OP when scouting / hunting in Oakland county this time of year. Two or three years ago, I wondered what it was at the time and took some photos but forgot about it and never looked it up.



jeffm said:


> Please read up on it. Special prep is required at times.
> 
> 
> The thoroughly dried young leaves are quite good reconstituted in soups or stews. The thoroughly dried rootstocks can be made into a pleasant cocoa-like flour.
> ...


Maybe you already know this Jeff... For others: Oxylates are commonly in many plants, including foods, and are present at varying levels depending on the particular type of plant and many other conditions. Plants use them to rid themselves of things like calcium I believe. Humans have no use for oxylates, and our bodies may dispose of them by combination with things like calcium. For most people, it is no problem to be concerned with at all. Different story if, for example, you have kidney problems. For that, there are ways to manage the 'problem'.


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

Rowdy Bandit said:


> Very interesting. My first thought was Jack in the Pulpit, but I thought that was more of a taller flowering plant.
> 
> I used to see tons of the plant shown in the OP when scouting / hunting in Oakland county this time of year. Two or three years ago, I wondered what it was at the time and took some photos but forgot about it and never looked it up.
> 
> ...


Thanks great info and good to know. 
Yes..my dad had lots of kidney stones and I have had two, I was told mine was made up of calcium oxalates and to lay off calcium by products. So I have always been cautious of that oxalate word lol.


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## Rowdy Bandit (Mar 22, 2016)

Sorry to go off topic .44, if it bothers you.



jeffm said:


> Thanks great info and good to know.
> Yes..my dad had lots of kidney stones and I have had two, I was told mine was made up of calcium oxalates and to lay off calcium by products. So I have always been cautious of that oxalate word lol.


I don't know who helps you manage it, I assume it may be a nephrologist or a urologist. With all the people in the U.S. with kidney problems, such as 'stone formers', there are tons of nephrologists near bigger cities such as SE MI. A good one will give the information and care for an individual's unique specific needs. I assume a primary doc sent you on the right path.

Sometimes things aren't clear to the average person. There is a ton to learn if curious, and I found it fascinating and also tricky to get good information and data.

I was not referred, but was lucky enough to run into a nutritionist at U of M who had expertise in dietary needs for renal patients. One big misconception is: people think 'calcium stones... I should eat less calcium'. The nutritionist told me, 'that is absolutely FALSE!' *'Most men in the U.S. do not get enough calcium in their diets, and dietary calcium is not the problem that causes calcium stones'. * I had a serious problem with my kidneys and one was my body improperly processing calcium. *The nutritionist said cutting my calcium intake was the exact wrong thing to do,* though that is most people's first intuitive thought. On the other hand, some professionals believe calcium taken in supplement form is more likely to cause problems for certain people. (This is similar to the case with blood cholesterol level. Dietary cholesterol is an almost insignificant part of that, while it is genetics and how our bodies function which are what mainly determines blood cholesterol levels.)

So, the nutritionist told me to get about 1,000 mg per day of dietary calcium, which I confirmed with the kidney specialist, and follow every day now. That bumped up my calcium intake by about double what I was previously getting on average.

I have a couple stones still in there that, thankfully, have not noticeably grown bigger in five years now.

Also, if you eat foods high in oxylates, it is believed that eating a food which is a good source of freely available calcium in the same meal, can reduce blood oxylates and the burden on your body, by way of the calcium combining with the oxylates in your digestive tract and being expelled before it can get in your bloodstream.

Blood tests every eight weeks for three years, plus peeing in a jug for 24-hours (without missing a drop) and sending a test sample two or three times per year, along with therapy adjustments and a careful re-vamp of what I will eat, drink, and avoid, finally got my blood in good shape after the three years.

Your case may very well be different.

For the record, I did not have problems with things such as being overweight, drinking, smoking, or poor diet. Sometimes serious health problems come no matter how 'healthy' a lifestyle you live.


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

Rowdy Bandit said:


> Sorry to go off topic .44, if it bothers you.
> 
> 
> I don't know who helps you manage it, I assume it may be a nephrologist or a urologist. With all the people in the U.S. with kidney problems, such as 'stone formers', there are tons of nephrologists near bigger cities such as SE MI. A good one will give the information and care for an individual's unique specific needs. I assume a primary doc sent you on the right path.
> ...


Yes..sorry .44. Hope you don't mind.

Thank you for this info. I will look into this.

I was told this after my first stone, 1982. I'm sure they have made great strides on this topic. I have never seen a doctor about stones since 82.

I'm 161 lbs and always have been on the small side with the only bad habit being chewing Redman for 38 yrs. 1- pouch a week. Im a pretty boring guy I must say. I will check on all this with my doc. I have had alot of bloodwork done in the past month, all looked good doc said except my cholesterol a little high. 

Thanks again for your experience with this subject Rowdy Bandit much appreciated.


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## Tilden Hunter (Jun 14, 2018)

Dish7 said:


> Two different plants.
> http://www.michigannatureguy.com/blog/tag/jack-in-the-pulpit/


Thanks for that. It seems as though I've only encountered skunk cabbage, and not Jack-in-the-pulpit. There was plenty of skunk cabbage in a woods next to my old home in Hillsdale Co., but I haven't seen any up here.


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## .44 (Oct 1, 2010)

Not at all.Hope it helps you.


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

I am a bit late to the game but definitely skunk cabbage. Jack in the pulpit flowers do not just pop out of the ground. The leaves grow for a while before the classic hooded flower blooms. FM


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