Lysichitons are commonly known as skunk cabbages – are the most beautiful and impressive plants for wet locations. Large sails in yellow or white shine from afar on black expanse of soil. Dark green, large, often wavy or pleated leaves unfurl later in the season, and adorn the plant until autumn. Sometimes leaves appear along with the flowers, but they do not grow so fast as to obstruct the showy blooms.
The species name Lysichiton derives from Greek and means “falling cloak” since the spathe enclosing the inflorescence withers soon after flowering and falls off. There only two species in the genus -western and Asian lysichitons. These plants resemble giant calla lilies or water arums with their spathes billowing in the breeze like colourful sails.
Western lysichiton (Lysichiton americanum) is native to the eastern parts of North America. This is a vigorous perennial plant with creeping rhizome. It is found in its native habitat in deciduous woods, swampy locations, and always in semi-shade. Come spring, edges of wet forests burst into yellow – just like marsh marigolds or anemones do here. Leaves are 80-100cm long and 30cm wide, lanceolate and arranged in rosettes. Flower stalk is around 30cm tall, the spathe is bright yellow, 20-25cm long and 4-6cm wide (sometimes up to 8-10cm), which withers and falls off soon after flowering. The spadix is green, 15cm long and about 2cm wide. Depending on weather, it flowers between April and May, and later bears fruit in a form of a green berry.
Asian lysichiton (Lysichiton camtschatcense) is native to swamps and wet meadows of Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Kuril Islands. It is smaller in all part, including the spathe, that its American counterpart. The flowering extends for a month from May to June.
Usually lysichitons are planted on the edges of ponds and artificial swamps, in wet meadows, and on the edges of woods, where they survive even soggy conditions. Fertile, porous and acidic soil is all these plants need. When grown on alkaline soils, lysichitons suffer from chlorosis (leaves turn yellow, and roll up).
Choose a moist, well-aerated spot in semi-shade for the lysichitons, otherwise the midsummer`s sun might scorch their leaves. They resent drought, so mulch plants with peat after planting. So far I have never encountered any pests on lysichitons. Their major bane is chlorosis, and plants grown on very alkaline soils are often subject to it. In such case, consider acidulating the soil – applying iron sulphate. But bear in mind, that this measure is short-lived, while the amount of chemical required is hard to predict, and any mistakes lead to the demise of the plant. Therefore prepare the site well prior to planting – amend the soil with acidic peat, but take care not to over-acidulate.
If the soil is reasonably rich, avoid fertilizing, since lysichitons are very sensitive to mineral fertilizers. They respond far better to feeding with well-rotted organic matter. If planting under deciduous trees, do not remove the fallen leaves in autumn. Cover the plants with dry leaves or conifer branches to protect them in their first winter. Strong spring frosts might scorch flowers or buds. If the buds are about to burst, cover plants with horticultural fleece, should any frosts be forecasted.
© Mygarden.lt, 2009
