Pokeweed stem and berries

A herbaceous perennial plant in family Phytolaccaceae growing up to 2.4 m in height. It is native to the eastern United States and has significant toxicity.

comments (3)

Christine Young

Lion

Nice shot! My grandmother used to cook these - the leaves can be eaten when young, but you have to boil them in several changes of water to get rid of the toxins. It's a lot of work for not much sustenance. The leaves taste like green beans though. I'm pretty sure the berries are always toxic to humans. Posted 5 years ago
1. Ruth Spigelman
  
  Lion
  
  Wow. I remember being shown these when visiting PA and hearing 'highly toxic to humans' and had assumed that meant all parts of the plant. I should have fully researched. You are right, what a lot of effort in cooking. I always think about how humans came to utilise things they found in the natural world - how many deaths there must have been as they tried and tested all the flora and fauna they crossed paths with over the vast stretch of time. Posted 5 years ago, modified 5 years ago
2. 1. Christine Young
    
    Lion
    
    Exactly - I can only imagine how many people died while sampling nature's delights! My grandmother and her family did a lot of foraging, and some things were definitely questionable in how safe they were. But, they took great care in preparations. Posted 5 years ago

The American Pokeweed

American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a large semi-succulent herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 10 feet (3 metres) in height. It is native to eastern North America, the Midwest, and the Gulf Coast, with more scattered populations in the far West.

Info 22 0

Similar species: Pinks, Cactuses, And Allies

Species identified by Ruth Spigelman