Given its common name, it's hard to imagine there's anything appealing about skunk cabbage, but it's not entirely without redeeming qualities. Some gardeners are willing to put up with the plant's smelly character so that they can enjoy its flowers and foliage in marshy parts of their gardens. If you have skunk cabbage on your property and don't want it there, however, you'll find that it's a tenacious plant that requires a serious commitment on your part in order to eliminate or control it.
Skunk Cabbage Species
There are several species of plants in the Araceae family that are commonly referred to as skunk cabbage. White skunk cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcensis) is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 through 9, and yellow skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9. Another species commonly called skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is also sometimes called swamp lantern; it is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. All of these species are bog plants, and two of the species, skunk cabbage and yellow skunk cabbage, emit a foul odor similar to that of a skunk; white skunk cabbage sometimes does not have an odor.
Once skunk cabbage is established, it spreads readily by dispersing seeds and is very difficult to control. Since it's a bog plant and flourishes where the soil is saturated and soggy, one method of control is to alter the soil conditions where you don't want the plant so that it won't grow there. Improve drainage in problem areas so that the soil dries out between rainy periods, and change the grade of landscaping so that standing water doesn't collect and remain in areas where skunk cabbage is growing.
Skunk cabbage is a monocot, not a dicot, so herbicides designed to kill broadleaf weeds while sparing turfgrasses are unlikely to work to eradicate it. A nonselective herbicide, such as one that contains glyphosate, may be effective. To apply the herbicide, cut the plant off at ground level and then use a small brush to paint the herbicide directly onto the stump. Be sure to apply the herbicide immediately after you cut the plant so that the stump doesn't have time to begin to heal, which will limit the effectiveness of the herbicide. Skunk cabbage has a substantial root system, so repeated applications may be necessary to kill the plant.
The plant's massive and deep-reaching root system makes it very difficult to dig up manually, but if you want to avoid the use of herbicides, it may be your only option. Alternatively, you can try mowing the plant down as it emerges; if you mow it down consistently every time it sends up new shoots, the plant's roots will suffer from the absence of nutrient-providing leaves and may eventually die.
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