pokeweed/poke sallet it's poisonous, but if you boil the beejesus out of it you can supposedly eat it/what's left of it. Do not eat the berries. Safe for birds only I think.
I agree with everyone above its poke salat. Let the one eating this plant be aware! Pokeweed/Poke Salat Scientific Name(s): Phytolacca americana L. Abundance: uncommon What: young shoots & leaves, berry juice How: young shoots & leaves boiled in three changes of water; berry juice boiled then made into jam/jelly Where: woods, shady areas, sunny areas, fields When: spring Nutritional Value: vitamins Dangers: all parts of plant contain different amounts of extremely toxic (fatal) alkaloid compounds, especially roots, stems, mature leaves, and seeds. Medicinal Summary: Root* - lymph flow stimulator; anti-inflammatory; anti-swelling; antibacterial (tincture) *extremely poisonous, only to be used by trained experts! Young pokeweed plants, ready to be boiled then eaten.
I get birds planting that stuff, all the time. It gets yanked when spotted. When mature, there's deep purple berries that the birds eat. Leaves a nice purple patina on your windshield, if branches are overhead.
We have an area in the wasteland that is mostly pokeweed that are pushing 6' tall. I started to dig them up a few weeks ago, but it was too hot. They have a big root that had to get dug out. They will meet the brush cutter before the berries ripen and probably burn them in a few weeks when they dry out.
So that weed is the same stuff we have growing on the sand. These pictures were taken last summer or fall.
Correct those are all poke weed. I think there was a post a couple years back about it and various ways of cooking them. I personally really like it taste and texture is a lot like asparagus!
