Eastern Skunk Cabbage Breaking Through Ice - Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus Foetidus) Growing And Breaking Through Thin Ice In Early Spring. This Is One Of The Few Plants That Exhibits Thermogenesis Which Means It Can Create Heat In Order To Melt Frozen Water To Enable It To Break Through. It Gives Off A Pungent Odor And Was Also Used As A Medicinal Plant By Native Americans. Photo