Which flower is a well-known thermogenic plant that heats its own blooms?

Eastern skunk cabbage is a well-known thermogenic plant that heats its own blooms. Its hood-like spathe surrounds a flower-covered spike called a spadix, which can remain warmer than the surrounding air during early spring.

This heat is produced by cyanide-resistant cellular respiration and can raise the flower’s temperature by roughly 15–35 °C above ambient conditions. In some cases, the warmth helps the plant melt through nearby snow or ice, allowing it to bloom before many other plants emerge.

The eastern skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, grows in wetlands and moist forests across eastern North America. Its flowers release a strong, skunk-like odor that attracts early insects, including blowflies, which help pollinate the plant.

It is often confused with western skunk cabbage, Lysichiton americanus, which is also foul-smelling but is not the same species. The plant’s leaves and roots contain calcium oxalate crystals, so raw skunk cabbage should not be eaten.