Scoliopus bigelovii

Meet world-renowned botanist Hans R. Here is his own speak ~

 

Early this morning, trusty umbrella in hand, I ventured to Muir Woods National Monument, there to photograph nature, wondrous and rare. Soon I came upon a lovely wildflower, in the guise of a park ranger. We exchanged pleasantries and I queried the young damsel about secrets of the forest. She confided in me that the New Year's first native flowers had appeared and were close at hand. Their name ~ Scoliopus bigelovii, a.k.a. Fetid Adder's Tongue. She told me where to look and how to recognize the flower. Then she added a warning ~ The "Fetid" part of the flower's name comes from its foul smell! Attached is a picture of three of these beautiful flowers. Fortunately, my cold protected me from smelling anything ~ sweet or foul!

 

Here are a couple of quotes ~

 

Mary Elizabeth Parsons in The Wild Flowers of California, 1897:
"When the flowers first open they stand erect, held in the shining chalice formed by the two sheathing green leaves. Later the leaves open out, showing their beautiful blotched surfaces, and the three-angled flower-stems become limp and twisted."

John Thomas Howell in Marin Flora, 1949:
"One of the first plants to bloom after the beginning of the rainy season, the Fetid Adder's Tongue thrusts its queer ill-scented flowers from the pair of closely rolled leaves as soon as they are above ground. By the time the attractive brown-spotted leaves are developed, the first fruits are already well formed at the ends of elongate sprawling twisting pedicels. This remarkable plant was discovered by Bigelow at "Tamul Pass" in 1854."