Herb. No. 177 · Phytolaccaceae
Eastern North American disturbed ground, now a roadside plant across much of the temperate world.
Native · North America
Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
Magenta stems and ink-dark berries — an American roadside that looks like food and is a poison-garden lesson.
Treat this as a poison-garden specimen. Read Safety before any use.
Pokeweed is a tall eastern North American perennial. Berries stain purple and look like grapes; roots look like parsnips; young shoots have a folk-food tradition that requires repeated boiling and still poisons people who skip a step. Mitogens and saponins are not a kitchen experiment. This plate names it so it is not mistaken for a pie berry.
Flavor
Do not taste. Sweetish berries are part of why children eat them.
Parts used
None for self-care.
Helpful
- Teaches a common toxic native
- Birds eat the berries; you do not
Cautions
- Root and berry poisonings
- Looks like food
- The folk green is not safe enough for this folio