Weed of the Month| Pokeweed aka inkberry (Phytolacca americana)
September 12, 2024
Some consider pokeweed to be ornamental. There are rumors of a variegated form in German nurseries and there are varieties with extra-large fruit clusters. Just what we need. Others of us consider pokeweed an invasive weed, spread by those very same fruit clusters, and pull and dig it out whenever it’s spotted.
Young plants pull easily, but older pokeweeds need to be dug because of their massive taproots, often 12 inches long and 4 inches wide.
Native to eastern North America and naturalized in Europe and Japan, pokeweed is usually found in fields and open woods and along roadsides and forest edges. It is certainly an imposing plant, usually growing 6-10 feet tall on one season. Perennial, it dies down to the ground in winter.
Thick, sturdy stems are green and purple, supporting large, lush, bright green leaves. Green and white flowers appear from June to September in numerous erect clusters that later droop under the weight of berries that change from green to red to deep purple when fully ripe. That’s when they are relished by many species of birds, including catbirds, cardinals and brown thrashers, and their seeds dispersed everywhere across gardens and landscapes.
Though all parts of pokeweed are poisonous to humans and most mammals, young leaves and shoots can be eaten in spring after boiling a couple times to remove toxins. Indigenous tribes used pokeweed in topical medications for skin problems and early settlers used berries and roots to make pink and red dyes respectively.
