![]() ![]() This generally isn’t a problem in vacant lots, but can be a nescience in backyard borders as children may mistake the toxic berries for grapes. And it can become aggressive if left unchecked and readily colonizes disturbed areas. It’s large size and prolific flowering also mean it will make many seeds. ![]() Mature Pokeweed in September, Southern Pennsylvania In fact, you could buy canned ‘poke’ up until recently in certain regional supermarkets. Īlthough toxic to humans and many mammals, both Native Americans and settlers valued the plant as a source of food and medicine. Scientifically known as Phytolacca americana, in late Summer it stands out with it’s dark red stems, large leaves, and clusters of dark purple berries that are beloved by birds. Pokeweed is one of the largest herbaceous perennial plants native to North America, growing up to 10′ tall by 3′ wide in full sun and moist soil. What Wildlife, Pests, and Diseases effect Pokeweed.This will be a complete profile on this unique native plant. It has a complicated history in that it is valuable to wildlife, has been used as food and medicine by Native Americans and settlers alike, and yet it is a highly toxic plant. It’s large size, mature reddish-purple stems and dark purple berries give it a unique appearance. The Weed of the Month series explores the ecology and history of the common wild plants that most gardeners consider weeds.One of the most distinct and overbearing plants you may encounter in late Summer is Pokeweed. So perhaps give pokeweed a pass when you’re weeding. Mockingbirds, cardinals, cedar waxwings, and other winter residents rely on the berries to get through the food-scarce winter ahead. Catbirds, wood thrushes, hooded warblers, and other migratory birds eat them to fuel their southward flights to warmer climes. There are at least 30 bird species that rely on pokeberries as a major food source. This is why pokeweed is often found along fences and under power lines, just beneath the spots where those same birds perch. As fall arrives, the abundant fruits ripen to a dark purple and become palatable to many birds, which go on to disperse the seeds. Pokeweed aficionados have found ways to detox the berries, too, cooking only the mature fruit and deseeding them to make syrups, jams, and pie fillings.Īround here, it’s usually only feathered foodies that consider pokeberries edible. The Arkansas-based company that canned it had to discontinue it in 2000, apparently because they couldn’t find enough suppliers (a.k.a. Famed Ozark chef and foraging expert Billy Joe Tatum included seven different poke recipes in her classic Wild Foods Cookbook and Field Guide and called it “far more delicious than most garden vegetables.” Until fairly recently, you could even buy canned poke sallet at the grocery store. It may seem like a lot of work, but pokeweed is a free and readily available source of nutrition. The youngest leaves contain the least toxins, and the process of boiling them repeatedly in clean water effectively cooks the toxins out. The whole pokeweed plant is considered poisonous from root to fruit, but that hasn’t stopped people from eating it! In the South, the young shoots and leaves are parboiled to create what’s known as poke sallet. Some sources claim that pokeweed ink was used to write for the Declaration of Independence, but according to the National Archives, it was actually written with iron gall ink. The dark magenta juice from the berries has proven to be an effective writing ink as well as fabric dye. The name “poke” most likely comes from the Algonquian word pokan, meaning bloody. ![]() Native to the East Coast, pokeweed is one of the few urban weedy plants that was not brought here from Europe or Asia. ![]() Technical Assistance for Community Compost Sites. ![]()
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