Here you see one of our most beautiful and interesting plants, especially at this lush time of the year. Yet, the most common name for this visual delight derogatorily focuses on its emission of a protective, sharp odor when it is damaged.
Yes, the primary common name for this plant is eastern skunk cabbage, although it never smells like skunk spray and is not a cabbage. Even its scientific name is derogatory: Symplocarpus foetidus, roughly meaning stinking compound fruit.
The plant has many pleasing attributes that could have been chosen when deciding on its name. Calling it a skunk cabbage seems to be like classifying Luciano Pavarotti merely as a fat singer. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 21, 2023.) I feel better now.