Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
(Click on image to enlarge.)
(Click on image to enlarge.)
(Click on image to enlarge.)
(Click on image to enlarge.)
| Pokeweed, or Poke, or Pokeberry,or Inkberry, is a storied plant of the American South. It is a tasty and healthy vegetable when properly prepared: a serious poison when improperly prepared. For most gardeners it is a troublesome weed, but for the poorest it was once a valuable food resource. In this millenium, I suspect that only a relatively few older folks and a simular number of wild food enthusiasts continue to harvest and eat Poke. The mature plant is often about six feet tall and produces large quantities of "inkberries," which, although poisonous to humans are eagerly eaten by birds, especially Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, and Cardinals. The dead stems persist though the winter. |