Plant · P-957

Pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

Pokeweed is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial native across most of North America where it colonizes open ground such as woodland edges clearings pastures and roadsides. Birds strip its purple-black berries and spread the seed widely so it shows up wherever they roost. Every part of the mature plant is toxic and only young shoots and leaves are eaten after thorough cooking with the water changed; the ripe berries when cooked have been used for pie filling and as a dye. It grows in full sun to partial shade on moist well-drained soil of almost any texture and dies back each winter from a large persistent taproot.