A stench or odor is what allows other organisms to avoid the skunk cabbage or skunk.
The scientific name for Skunk cabbage is Symplocarpus foetidus.
No.
Apparently, the dung beetle pollinates this plant (skunk cabbage).
Skunk cabbage is poisonous and can cause burning and swelling of lips, tongue, throat, nausea, and vomiting.
It smells bad, like a skunk spray.
Skunk Cabbage
Skunk cabbage has a foul, skunklike odor. It is found in swampy areas or in wet soil beside streams. It looks like cabbage when it ripens in the autumn, but has no close relationship to the cabbage family. Its scientific name is Symplocarpus foetidus.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the skunk cabbage plant is considered to be an endangered and threatened species. It is illegal to destroy it in many states including Pennsylvania.
Skunk cabbage flowers smell much like rotting meat or skunk smell. Other foul smelling flowers are crown imperials and roadkill skunk.
Skunk Cabbage
Cabbage (not skunk cabbage) can be fed to horses safely so long as it is fed in amounts less than 4 oz. per day.