Pokeweed

Description:

Perennial herbaceous plant which can reach a height of 10 feet, but is usually 4 feet to 6 feet. The stem is often red as the plant matures. The leaves are alternate with coarse texture with moderate porosity. Leaves can reach sixteen inches in length. Leaves are medium green and smooth with what some characterize as an unpleasant odor. The flowers have 5 regular parts with upright stamens. They have white petal-like sepals without true petals. Blooms first appear in early summer and continue into early fall. Fruit: A shiny dark purple berry held in racemous clusters on pink pedicels with a pink peduncle. Pedicles without berries have a distinctive rounded five part calyx. Fruits are round with a flat indented top and bottom. Immature berries are green, turning white and then blackish purple. Thick central taproot which grows deep and spreads horizontally. Rapid growth. Tan cortex, white pulp, moderate number of rootlets. Transversely cut root slices show concentric rings.

Habitat:

Broadly distributed in fields and waste places, and usually found in edge habitats.

Notes:

Parts of this plant are highly toxic to livestock and humans, and it is considered a major pest by farmers. Nonetheless, some parts can be used as food, medicine, or poison if properly prepared.