Lysichiton americanus (western skunk cabbage)

Japanese name: アメリカミズバショウ
Scientific name: Lysichiton americanus

[Overview]
A perennial found in wetlands such as swamps, damp places in forests, and along small streams.
It has a thick rhizome.
The leaves are small at flowering time, but after flowering they grow into large ellipses 30–150 cm long and 10–70 cm wide.
A flower stalk 30–50 cm tall bears a club-shaped spadix enclosed in a yellow to yellowish green spathe.
The flowers are small, pale green, and 4-petaled, and are borne in large numbers on the surface of the spadix.
The fruit is a green berry; when ripe it falls into the water and is carried away by the current.

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