Grew up near the back of corner of my house. It originally blended in w/some forsythias and a huge St.Johnswort clump so I didn't really notice it till it started sporting the dark purple "berries". It's probably about 4'high and as wide. Any ideas as to what it is? I really haven't a clue!

Click on thumbnails for larger view

It looks like what my mother would call horseweed. I don't know the proper name (if that isn't the proper name), but I know it is quite prevalent here on our farm. It can get up to 8 ft tall. and those berries on it will stain your clothes severely. What we do here is cut it down and burn it whenever we find it.

That is POKE WEED. The berries are poisonos to humans... but the birds can eat them.

This is the Poke of "Poke Salat" from the south. I have a bit of a problem with it.. but I like to let the birds have a source of food from the yard.. SO I don't kill all of it.

Poke Salad Annie....I always wondered what poke weed was. I have it everywhere too. I am guessing humans can eat the leaves? Any idea when the best time to do that is? Or was that just the name of a song!

It is indeed "Pokeweed". I wouldn't eat it, but my grandparents loved it. I think it's kind of spinachy. Best to harvest when leaves are young.

Poke salat (yes, that seems to be the correct spelling!) grows everywhere around here. I understand that the young leaves are edible, but turn poisonous with age.

Its botanical name is Phytolacca Americana.

Thank you all so much. I think I'll skip the Poke Salad side dish though and just leave it so the birds can feast on the berries. It must like the spot where it's growing, cause the thing is loaded w/the grape clusters of berries. Thanks again.

Pokeweed shoots make an asparagus substitute, but it's too easy to mix them up with poisonous lookalikes. Plus, there's usually only one plant in any given yard around here; I just skip them. I would guess they'd be a good green manure, though...

I dunno. I think it's great as a specimen plant for a flowerbed with all those berries in big necklaces like that... I've seen some over 7' tall, and really handsome foliage, too!

Yup - the shoots are edible - but best leave it alone once it forms leaves.

The berries make a dynamite natural dye though. Just squish one in your fingers, and see how long it takes before your fingers stop being purple. I did have a friend who made a dyebath from them.

Yeah, the poisonous 'look a like' in the early spring to Poke Weed here is something called Indian Poke, False Hellebore... (Veratrum viride)
It is a digitalis type chemical and can stop your heart.
Now, isn't that more information than anyone cared to know this morning? OK, here's more...
Can't say I've seen Poke Weed in Z4.
We have something similar called Spikenard(aralia racemosa) that gets clusters of deep purple berries in large panicles.
Aren't you glad you asked this question Gardenz?
I was thinking what a fun post this is...putting up a photo of something 'odd' to the OG community to identify(even if you know what it is). Lots of good stories, thanks.

I believe the berries used to be used for ink....?

quote:

Originally posted by franeli:
panicles.
Aren't you glad you asked this question Gardenz?
I was thinking what a fun post this is...putting up a photo of something 'odd' to the OG community to identify(even if you know what it is). Lots of good stories, thanks.

You bet I'm glad! One of the aspects of gardening that's always fascinated me is learning the history or even the mythology of plants. Couple those factors w/different folks' observations and experiences w/that plant, it makes it even more fascinating!

Based on cb in Fl's response, I bet the berries were also once used as a dye for yarns and fabric. Where's Foxglove when you need her? I'm sure she'd know about that.

As franeli suggested, how bout some more pictures of oddities in the garden?

Er...that'd be "plant oddities", not "people". Although I'm sure there's plenty of them in the garden too.

Keep em coming!